Fairy Tail AU: Choice and Change
by kttykiwi
Summary: Working Title. Aquarius chose to stay with Layla instead of serving Grammi. Mira chose to run away instead of remaining with Fairy Tail. Lucy chose to love with all her heart instead of feeling lonely. Now Fairy Tail must choose to go with the flow instead of fighting the current. An AU universe where Natsu was not the one to bring Lucy to Fairy Tail. Lesbian Ships Ahoy!
1. Prologue pt1 etd

**This Chapter has been edited from its original posting for spelling, grammar, and additional content.**

 **Fairy Tail AU: Choice and Change**

 **By KttyKiwi**

 **(A working Title: Aquarius refuses to leave Layla. Mira takes a different route out of town. Everything changes.)**

 **Rating:** T (for) Magical violence, language, and unconventional relationships.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Fairy Tail or anything associated with it, someone much more famous than me does. (Hiro Mashima)

 **Summary:**  
 _In the year X764; celestial mage Layla Heartfilia retires due to illness and entrusts her Spirits to others with their consent, with the exception of one whom refused point blank to leave her side._  
 _In the year X777; dragged kicking and screaming out of a depressed state after the death of her mother a young girl vows to live a life the woman would be proud of, one that is full of love and laughter._  
 _In the year X778; a young female mage successfully runs away from her siblings and the Fairy Tail guild hall, leaving the town of Magnolia far behind._

 _Fate has them crossing paths earlier than originally planned and the world starts to change little by little._

 **Pairings** : Mira x Lucy, Lucy x Erza, Mira x Lucy x Erza end game

 **Authors Notes:**  
 _Welcome one and all to my first Fairy Tail Fan-fiction. A plot bunny started stalking me after my second watch through of the series, and some of the more recent chapters of the manga, and now I share it with you. This is an Alternate Universe in which two canon events have different outcomes and send the whole universe in a spiral. This story is planned to end just after the Tartarous arc and before the end of the one year time skip. It will include most of the filler arcs as I personally enjoy them, and a sequel is being planned that involves a crossover I hope will be enjoyable._

 _Note that like all my stories, the main pairing WILL be girl x girl. If you don't like that kind of pairing then you need to be reading something else because stupid flames will be ignored as even Natsu wouldn't touch them. HELPFUL and legitimate constructive criticism is always welcome since they allow me to be a better writer in the end._

 _There may be some seemingly OOC moments since this is an Alternate Universe, but please understand that I am trying to keep these characters in the proper mindsets for this universe. Also, while there will be some expanded/ new magics for certain characters, NO ONE will be over powered, though I will work to make the characters believably strong in their own ways._

 **(Fairy Tail: Prologue)**

 **Heartfilia Ancestral Estate Fall X764**

IN a grand mansion that had housed generations of Heartfilia Mages stood three Celestial Zodiac Spirits and their contracted key holder, Layla Heartfilia. The spirits; Cancer the Crab, Capricorn the Sea Goat, and Aquarius the Water Bearer, stood in a line facing the blonde Celestial Spirit Mage as she informed them of her need to retire from being an active mage and wanting to entrust their keys to others with a need of their services.

Ever dutiful, Capricorn agreed to work with one of Layla's servants, a man named Zoldeo, with the proviso that he would one day be the spirit of Layla's next mage descendant. "I will faithfully serve the Heartfilia Mages line for as long as it exists."

Reluctant, but understanding that his key-holder was unable to continue as a mage due to her failing health, Cancer agreed to contract with another servant named Spetto. The middle aged maid would give him plenty of opportunity to use his skills outside of battle, something that he knew he would enjoy. "I understand, and wish you luck -ebi."

Aquarius on the other hand, was downright furious that her key holder, someone whom she called friend, would try to give her key away to some other mage. "Absolutely not! I REFUSE to be handed off to some stranger! I should smack you black and blue for even THINKING of this hair brained scheme! You know what? Just for trying to get rid of me I'm going to learn to open the gate with my own power so that I can torment you by showing up at the worst possible moments, all for my revenge!"

Layla quickly came to regret ever mentioning relinquishing her contract with the temper mental mermaid she had known for so long, though secretly she loved that her spirit would go through so much trouble just to stay by her side. 

**Heartfilia Ancestral Estate Late Fall X766**

IT had been two years since Layla retired from the life of an active mage, but despite no longer using magic it still surrounded her constantly, usually in the form of a temper mental Mermaid Spirit hell bent on spending as much time in the human world as possible under her own power. In that time the spirit had grown able enough to open and pass through her gate at will for a little over 10 minutes at a time. It was a great improvement from being unable to open her gate at all, like the majority of Celestial spirits in existence barr the oldest and most powerful of them. Layla had also joined the merchant's guild Love and Lucky during that time, and ended up meeting her now husband Jude who, as all the men before him, took on the Heartfilia name.

Today was a special day for the ex-mage for more than a few reasons, the most important of which involved asking the Spirit who had become her best friend and sister figure a certain question. She had been waiting around for the mermaid to show since early that morning, but since Aquarius no longer used Layla's magic to open and pass through the gate the ex-mage had to settle for being constantly surprised whenever she appeared.

Finally, a little after noon, the familiar feeling of the mermaids magical presence appeared directly behind her, for once not startling the blonde at its sudden arrival. Instead she quickly turned on her heel and grabbed the unsuspecting Spirit in a giant hug with a happy shout. "You're finally here! I have such good news to share!"

"Eh? What are you babbling about brat?" Aquarius spoke harshly, as was her preferred character when not in sight of her lover Scorpio, but still returned the enthusiastic hug of the only key-holder she had ever called her friend.

Layla let go of the mermaid, grinning so widely that all her teeth were on display and bouncing lightly on her toes in excitement as she did so. "Jude and I are pregnant! I just confirmed it with the doctors last night! Isn't this exciting?"

Aquarius looked dumbstruck at the news, shocked as she was at the abrupt announcement. A sudden surge of slightly hysterical giggling broke the spirit from her shock; seeing her friend practically doubled over in laughter bringing a scowl to her face. "What's so funny!?"

"Y-y-your face! I-i-I've never seen y-you make-" Layla was unable to finish her sentence for two reasons; one she was laughing way too hard, and two was the mild head slap delivered by an UN-amused Blue Headed mermaid.

"Stop laughing at my face!"

"S-s-sorry!" The blonde Summoner took a moment to calm herself, before turning to the not-so-patiently waiting Spirit. "Anyways, I had something I wanted to ask you about after I told you the good news."

Aquarius looked at the blonde woman with a burning sense of curiosity; it wasn't everyday that she asked the spirit questions without simply blurting it out the second the thought crossed her mind. As a consequence to that, most questions the blonde asked ranged from absurd to trivial, with the few deep or important questions being prefaced with some variation of 'I wanted to ask you'.

"Well, now that we're having a baby, and you being my best friend, I was wondering..." The mermaid watched the ex-celestial mage fidget like the shy 13 year old she had been when they had first met, and let out a sigh as she placed a gentle hand upon the blondes head.

"Layla just spit it out. You know the worst I'll do is say no."

"Right! Aquarius, would you like to be the baby's godmother?" The mermaid froze at the question, once more shocked, and Layla rushed to clarify her request. "I mean, you're like a sister to me, and even though it means something different to spirits than it does humans, I just thought it would be nice if you could have a role as more than 'mommy's spirit friend' to the baby. If you don't want to that's fine, I just wanted to-"

The blonde's rapid fire babble was cut off by a hand over her mouth; one attached to the arm of a smiling Aquarius. "Jeez brat! Making me feel all emotional and junk! Take a breath and let me answer." Layla did just that and waited patiently for the mermaid's response.

"You're right that being a godmother means something different to us spirits than it does to you humans, but I know what you meant when asking anyways. I have one question though before I give my final answer." The ex-mage tilted her head in question; looking far more like a puppy than any Nikora the spirit had ever seen. "How does that idiot you call a husband feel about me being the baby's godmother?"

"Oh... he... well-"

"He hates the idea? Good, all the more reason to say yes!" Despite the slight to her husband, Layla laughed in joy knowing that her child would grow up to one day love spirits as much as she did thanks to Aquarius' influence. 

**Heartfilia Ancestral Estate Spring X772**

THE instant she felt magic pouring into her key, Aquarius rushed to negate the summoning and pushed through the gate under her own power, ready to act in whatever manner seemed fit. The urgency and fear she felt was painful as Layla had long since been forbidden to attempt opening her gate; at risk of her own life thanks to her illness, that she would attempt to do so meant either terrible danger for the spirit's Key Holder and Friend or the child she had grown to love since the moment the girl had been born.

Vase at the ready to wash away whatever threatened her loved ones, the Celestial Spirit was wholly unprepared for the happy squeal of joy and sudden hug she received upon her entrance into the human realm. Looking down she spotted the tiny blonde terror known as Lucy Heartfilia, age 5, doing her best to cling to the scales of her tail while cheering happily that her 'Aqua-nee' had finally come. A glint of gold in the little girl's right fist drew the mermaid's attention like lightning, and comprehension filled her as she realized that it had been Lucy attempting to summon her so that they could play. Her fear did not dissipate as the knowledge that the small child would have died from instant magic depletion had the Spirit allowed the summoning to finish hit her hard.

"Lucy, where is your mother?"

"Mama is sleeping. I was bored and wanted to see if you would play with me and Gonzales."

"Alright, we can play. But first I need you to give me my key." The tiny blonde gripped onto the golden key a bit harder as she suddenly felt that maybe she had done something bad, though what that might be she had no idea. Reluctantly she handed the Spirit her key with a sad pout.

"Am I in trouble?"

"No, YOU are not in trouble little one, but you shouldn't play with my key like that anymore. You need to promise me that you won't touch my key unless your mother or I says you can, okay?"

"Okay! I promise! Can we play now?" Back in high spirits since she wasn't in any trouble, Lucy was quick to bring attention back to her boredom. She started giggling wildly as the Mermaid scooped her up with a single arm and took off 'flying' down the open hallway. 

**Later that afternoon...**

LAYLA had woken up from her short nap to the sound of her daughter's laughter as it passed by her door, a smile on her face at the sound. Still tired, but knowing that she had to at least pretend to have the energy to get up that day, she forced herself to get 'dressed' and marched her way down to the mansions extravagant kitchen for an extra large mug of what she lovingly referred to as 'wake-up juice'; something that was otherwise known to the rest of the human race as coffee. It wasn't until she had imbibed the entirety of her first mug that the blonde woman realized that something important was missing from her person. The golden gate key belonging to Aquarius that she wore upon a long golden chain around her neck at all times, was gone.

 _'If I dropped her key, she will kill me.'_ Fear of the mermaid's wrath was an ingrained response to the blonde who had managed to anger her spirit many times over the years they had been together; most usually by summoning her from what she called 'weird' places or because she had dropped the Spirit's key somewhere. Quickly the older Heartfilia mage traced her way back to her room, searching diligently for the little golden key and chain as she went. Twice she retraced her route from bedroom to kitchen and back again without success.

"Shit! It's not here! If I don't find it soon..."

"Is this what you were looking for, little girl?" A menacing aura accompanied the words and Layla knew that she was in big trouble with her friend. Turning slowly she spotted the key she had been looking for gripped in the fist of its Spirit.

"Oh good, you found it!" The blonde tried for the innocent approach, and smiled widely as she spoke, hoping to throw off the coming punishment.

"I didn't find it; Lucy took it while you were sleeping and tried to summon me so we could play." Aquarius spoke in a dangerous but serious voice as she tried to impress the anger and fear she had felt onto the ex-mage. "She almost managed it too, if I hadn't already changed my contract to always come through the gate under my own power for you, she would currently be dead."

"What?" Layla almost couldn't believe what she was hearing, but knew the spirit wouldn't even dream of lying about something like this. _'My daughter could have died, and I was sleeping?'_

"I already made her promise not to play with my key unless either of us says it is okay, so calm down. Accidents happen and I know you've been more tired than usual lately, but next time you want to nap just let me know so I can watch the tot for you." Layla smiled feebly as she took her friends words to heart, knowing that the mermaid did not blame her for the mishap.

"Still, she did manage to almost summon me despite the fact that fully opening the gate would have used all her magic in an instant. It's probably past time for us to teach her more about the Celestial Spirits and to get her one of the less magic intensive silver key spirits to practice with. Maybe a Nikora as a companion since they have the lowest overall magic drain; or possibly a Serpens since they have enough offensive power to actually offer her some basic protection while acting as a companion?" Layla watched as the mermaid spirit thought about the best key to teach her daughter Celestial magic with, and smiled knowing that her long time friend would watch out for the tiny girl's best interest. Her smile faded quickly though as she heard the mermaid contemplating 'snake, lizard, or dog?'

"I think a Nikora is your best bet Aquarius! After all Lucy is only five, no need to overwhelm her yet." Layla hoped that the Mermaid Spirit wouldn't decide that Lucy needed a spirit that could protect her as well as be a companion; she hated snakes and other reptiles with a passion. She could just imagine her tiny daughter running around with a giant snake following her wherever she went, the image alone made her pale in fear.

"I know that you're only saying that because you have a fear of snakes and reptiles, but you might be right. Nikora are meant to be long term companions and are able to stay in the human realm for large amounts of time with little strain on either summoner or spirit. Now I just have to find one who isn't contracted and is willing to spend most of their time playing with a hyper 5 year old." Aquarius held her chin in thought as she tried to imagine how she would go about obtaining said Nikora's key for the girl in question.

"We could always look for gate keys the old fashioned way and visit the local shops?" Layla threw out there, knowing her suggestion would fall flat, but trying anyway.

"Nope, too much random chance we'll find the one Nikora who hates kids or one who prefers being lazy as opposed to playing." The blue haired mermaid thought for a few more moments before finally deciding on what she would do. 

**One week later...**

The Blue haired Celestial Spirit had returned with a present for the Tiny Blonde Terror, and though she knew Layla would be angry at her she couldn't wait to see the child create her first contract.

"Here you go Lucy. Take your stance and repeat after me." The little blonde did as she was told, looking adorable as she concentrated on doing it perfectly. "I am linked to the path to the world of Celestial Spirits, Now! O Spirit, answer my call and pass through the gate! Open, gate of the Serpent, Serpens!"

The scream of frustrated anger she heard from her own summoner was nothing short of hilarious. 

**Heartfilia Ancestral Estate July 7 X777 late evening**

THE entire estate was grieving; after several days spent away for some distant task their mistress had finally returned only to have arrived in terrible health. She was dying, and only the Mermaid Spirit providing support at her side had allowed the ex-mage to remain in the world of the living long enough to return to her home and say goodbye. Both Jude and Lucy sat at the dying woman's bedside, shedding tears in their mutual grief while Aquarius concentrated on feeding her remaining magic energy into the blonde long enough to help stave off the inevitable.

"Layla, I can't hold on much longer. Once I run out of energy, you will have only minutes left." The spirit was at her absolute limit now; the combined strain of remaining in the Human Realm and keeping her key-holder alive too much to endure, though she fought desperately to continue for just those few seconds more.

"Thank you... Aquarius. Please... remem-ber my re-quest." The Mermaid nodded, tears welling in her eyes as she agreed; having bid their final farewells on the return trip this was the last thing they truly had left to say to each other after years of friendship.

"I will. Lucy will have me there to watch over her for as long as she lives, I promise."

The ex-mage smiled at her best friend one last time before turning to say a final goodbye to her husband and daughter, tears hinting at the corner of her eyes as she took in their tear stained faces. "Come on... you two, please... don't cry. I want... to remem-ber you with... smiles."

Though the tears continued pouring down their faces, both Jude and Lucy complied as best they were able. The sparkles of Aquarius slowly vanishing back into the Celestial world spurred the tiny blonde to pounce on her mother, hugging the woman for one last time in a desperation to try and keep her with them. "I love you momma! Please don't go!"

"I love you too... but it is finally my time. Stay... safe for me." The ill woman motioned to her husband to take their daughter, not wanting Lucy to suffer the torment of watching her final breath in the moment she actually passed. "Jude... please... don't blame magic for this... and make sure... to watch over Lucy."

The blonde business man reached for his wife's frail hands with unashamed tears pouring from his eyes as he carefully reached over to kiss her one last time before picking his daughter up and hiding her face in his own neck. "I will. I love you Layla."

"I love you... both..." The blonde woman smiled gently even as her breathing finally slowed to a complete stop. She had passed away at the age of 29 while surrounded by her loved ones with the knowledge that her daughter was now free from the Heartfilia's ancestral duty.  
The heartrending cries of grief never reached her. 

**August X777**

A LITTLE over a month had passed since Layla Heartfilia had died, but grief still ruled those she had left behind. Jude had buried himself deep in his work; trying to drown out the pain he felt whenever he so much as thought of the woman he had loved. He rarely left his office as every aspect of the large mansion reminded him painfully of his late wife; and even worse was the fact that the mere sight of his young daughter was capable of bringing him to his knees with her resemblance. He knew it wasn't healthy of him to do as he was for either himself or Lucy, who had no one to truly turn to but her Snake Spirit and Godmother during this time of grief.

He loved his daughter deeply, and was saddened to see her taking her anger and sadness out on everyone and everything in the vicinity, even her 'little sister' Gonzales was not spared. The only person he had seen get through to her was Aquarius, who had finally been able to return to the mansion for the first time just a little over a week ago. From what she had told him on her return; Layla's last wish was that Aquarius would continue to watch over Lucy as one of her spirits, but that the Mermaid had chosen to take it a step farther and become his daughters Guardian Spirit. Much like she had been named godmother, though she was not legally recognized as such by anyone outside of their family, the mermaid had created a contract with Lucy that essentially granted her the same basic rights according to the Laws of the Celestial Spirit world.

All he really understood about it was that now the annoying mermaid was just as much her parent as he was and that she could appear at will near his daughter even if Lucy lost her key somehow. Not that she could; since he had seen the Mermaid attaching her key to a special neck chain that Lucy was unable to remove no matter how much she tried. He had watched the exchange happen from a distance; the day after Aquarius' return and only minutes after Lucy had thrown the spirits key into the nearby woods in a fit of temper, not wanting the reminder of her mother to be anywhere near her. Aquarius had been livid from what he could tell and apparently had made it so no one but the spirit herself could remove the key from its new place in revenge. At least that's what he could tell from all the yelling and screaming he had heard going on right below his office window.

Now, a loud knock on his office door preceded the Spirit he had been thinking about just barging into the room with a huff. "There you are! I came to tell you that I'm taking the brat on a mini training trip to the edge of the estate. We'll be gone for at least a week, and don't bother even looking for us since it'll just distract Lucy."

"Training?"

"I promised Layla to watch out for Lucy and so that's what I'll do. Training her to be strong enough to protect herself no matter what she wants to do in the future is a good start. Also, it will give you some time to grieve where she can't see you and to get you back into Idiot Papa Mode, because the man you are now is not the man Layla loved with all her heart." Jude looked up to the blue haired mermaid in shock, realizing that what she said was the truth. He knew it would take him some time to return to that man but now realized that he wasn't completely alone; despite them never getting along even the mermaid his wife had considered her best friend would be there to help him in her own way.

"Thank you Aquarius. Please, bring Lucy by before you leave so I can wish her luck."

"Tch. I'm not doing anything for you. But, I will tell you that we plan to leave 8am tomorrow morning from the front doors." Turning on her fin, she made to leave the office with a scowl. Her last words muffled by the closing door but still loud enough for him to hear. "Moping doesn't suit you. Idiot." 

**Heartfilia Ancestral Estate Outskirts Spring of X778**

IT had been almost a year since Layla had died and in that time Aquarius had dragged Lucy to the woods at the edge of where the Estate met the mountains every chance she got. The mermaid called their lengthy excursions to the now semi-permanent camp 'training', Lucy just called it torture. Their current excursion was going on a little over a month now, with no plans of returning to the house appearing in the near future. Unfortunately, despite his love for her Lucy's father was just as scared of the Mermaid's wrath as his late-wife and daughter; he refused to come looking for her even though he missed her meaning that she was stuck with the Spirit until she was released. Thankfully, his fear did not stop him from sending small care packages to the duo every week via a magic courier bird as had become his custom shortly after their 2nd week-long trip.

Lucy loved those packages that contained just a few small sweets and a letter; stating how lonely her Papa was now that she was growing up, how much he loved and missed her, and even had him asking simple questions about her days. Aquarius received letters too, though after the first one she simply began burning them upon receipt while laughing evilly. Lucy had figured it was just the Mermaid and her Papa acting as they always did with each other. It made her smile every time to see them behaving like they had while her Mama was still alive and encouraged her to want to live each and every day in a way that would make her Mama proud in the afterlife.

Today, they were supposed to be working on Lucy's endurance again since it was one of her biggest problems. It was generally a relatively easy task since it meant summoning her Serpent Spirit, an Albino Serpens her mother had nick-named Discord, and holding him out for as long as possible. She would then go through various physical exercises until she wanted to collapse from exhaustion, before meditating until her spirit dissipated from lack of magic. Aquarius had explained it as 'stretching the magical container via repeated and extended use while growing the physical endurance of the mage'; Lucy considered it a mild form of hell since she wasn't allowed a break until after her magic core was almost empty. Luckily it only took her an hour or two to drain herself enough to satisfy the sadistic Spirit and she was free to rest until after lunch when they would work on magic theory while holding out Discord once more.

At least it wasn't Cancer's day for training the young blonde; the crab man was even worse than Aquarius when it came to the 'physical training and endurance that she needed to have' in order for her to use his version of self defense. Thankfully Lucy could only hold him out for half an hour max and the Stylist was unable to open his own gate in the same way as the mermaid.

"All right brat, it's time to get training! Today is magical and physical endurance, with a twist!" Lucy stared up at the grinning mermaid in apprehension, knowing that whatever was about to happen she would probably hate. "Today we will be training in the waterfall nearby! Grab some spare clothes and a towel, and don't forget your water bottles! We'll be running the whole way there!"

Lucy nearly cried at the information, the waterfall Aquarius spoke of was several kilometers away and also happened to be the coldest part of the stream running through the woods near their camp. On top of that it was still early enough in spring that she needed a sweater regularly, and now the mermaid was taunting her about having to run. "You don't even have legs! How can you run?"

"Tch. Stop complaining brat or I'll make it worse when we get there. Also, for your information Missy, I do too have legs I just choose not to use them unless I have a good enough reason to do so." The blue haired mermaid scowled as she spoke, motioning for the blonde to get a move on before making her way towards the distant waterfall. "Now hurry up or I'll double your work load."

Swiftly grabbing her workout gear Lucy chased after the fast moving spirit, doing her best to pace herself for the lengthy run while keeping up at the same time. 

**Later...**

Stumbling tiredly with a horrible stitch in her side and breathing ragged from the distance traveled, Lucy finally came into sight of the waterfall where she would be training for the day. Her blue haired tormentor floated into view behind her, watching as the girl nearly fell on her face as she came to a sudden stop.

"Don't stop moving brat, keep walking in circles until you get your breath back or you'll hurt yourself. Once you can breathe more normally start stretching like Cancer showed you when he began training with you. Let me know when you've finished and we'll start for the day." Though the words were spoken harshly, Lucy recognized that they were filled with care for her well being and took to the instructions immediately. She spent the few minutes regaining her breath before beginning the series of stretches her Crab spirit had been drilling into her during their physical training days.

Once she had finished stretching thoroughly the young blonde looked up to her mermaid trainer. "Okay, I'm ready. What are we doing today?"

"First, you need to summon Cancer since he has something new for you."

"Okay! I open thee, gate of the Great Golden Crab! Cancer!" The familiar motions of summoning a celestial spirit and the drain on her magic were comforting to the young mage. The bright golden light and sound of a ringing bell heralded the arrival of the great Crab who looked more like an eccentric hair stylist, the crab legs attached to his back twitching and moving at his command.

"Hello! -ebi."

"Hi Cancer! Aquarius said you had something for me and that I should summon you before we start training today." The blonde bounced lightly on her toes always excited to see her spirits, even if they were trying to kill her with what they called training.

"Yes -ebi. I had these made for you for our future defense lessons -ebi." A wrapped package that she had overlooked sat in the Crab man's hands, approximately the size of the girl's lower arm from elbow to finger tip and about twice as big around as both of her wrists together. He handed it to her and had her open the plain cloth wrapping. Inside lay what looked like a giant pair of scissors with strangely shaped open handles, and a wide leather belt with what seemed to be an attached holster for the blades.

Picking them up in his hands Lucy watched as he demonstrated how the scissors snapped apart to form two separate blades, and then snapped back together again with little effort. "These are training shears -ebi. They are not sharp enough to truly cut anything, but can still hurt if you are not careful -ebi. We will be training with them from now on, and Aquarius will oversee your solo practice when I cannot be here -ebi. To that end your magical endurance training days will involve learning blade forms from now on -ebi."

"Is that why you said today would have a twist?" The blonde asked her guardian spirit.

"Yep. From now on Cancer will teach the both of us the forms he wants you to practice each day, and I will oversee your practice once he returns. After an hour or so we will return to our normal training for the day. We will be doing this everyday from now on." The mermaid moved closer to the duo and picked up the nearly forgotten belt as she spoke, moving to wrap it around the young girl's waist so that the holster sat at the small of her back.

"It is important that you learn to protect yourself -ebi. It just so happens that I can teach you to do so using these blades -ebi." The Crab man readjusted the girl's belt and holster with the blades sheathed so that they would be easy to draw and replace once Lucy got the hang of it. "Today we will work on the basics -ebi. You will draw the blades, separate them, enter a ready stance, put them back together, and then sheath them -ebi. You will also learn to hold them with the correct grip and to move while wearing them sheathed -ebi."

Lucy was a little disappointed that she wouldn't get to learn to attack with them today, but knew that Cancer would teach her to do so once she could perform the basics properly. Besides, she felt it would take her a while to get used to the idea of even wearing a pair of scissors that were as long as her lower arm, let alone using them to fight. Still, it would be cool once she could actually do something with them. Excited to learn she looked up at her teachers with a smile stretching from ear to ear. "What do we do first?" 

**Later that afternoon...**

Lucy took it all back, every nice thing she had ever thought about training for any reason. Her spirits were slave drivers, especially that damn over grown fish! She was so tired and sore she barely had the energy to move, let alone make her way back to camp on foot. It had all started out so well, she was learning something new and it was relatively easy going, if not a little strange since it was so different than what she was used to, but then training with Cancer was over and the true hell began. Not only did she continue to run her new exercises for another hour, she did so with Discord's gate open. Once the hour mark had been reached she was running twice the usual drills, the new set of shears on her waist making it far more difficult than usual.

The physical exercises themselves weren't really too much different from every other day; except that Aquarius had made her carry Discord whenever feasibly possible, and that barr her new belt and shears she was naked the entire time since she had chosen to start with swimming laps. 'Good choice; we don't want you to drown later if you get too tired.' Luckily, the increased difficulty and summoning Cancer beforehand actually shortened the length of her Training day and as soon as she managed to make it back to camp she would get to eat lunch.

Lucy finally levered herself up from her place on the ground and shuffled over to her pile of clothes; grabbing the remaining full water bottle on the way over she began chugging the liquid relief before groaning at the sounds of hunger her stomach was producing. Forgoing getting dressed she simply stuffed everything into her bag and began shuffling her way towards camp at a relatively decent pace for one so tired. 'I'm so glad that people don't come out here since we technically own this place.'

About halfway to camp Lucy began to debate continuing on her current route which passed under a section of small cliffs that tended to have a lot of dirt slides, or taking the more scenic route which went above the cliffs but required her to do some moderate climbing. The sound of rocks falling and a person screaming in surprise reached her ears only seconds before same said person wrapped in a purple cloak literally crashed into her from above, obviously having fallen from the cliffs Lucy had been debating climbing.

Groaning in pain from the collision, Lucy sat up and looked over at the person who had crashed into her. She couldn't actually see much of them beyond a few strands of long silver hair and a small pale hand since they were sprawled out on their side with the cloak covering them like a blanket. Carefully, Lucy moved over and gently tried to wake the unfortunate soul with a bit of poking and even some light shaking. A few minutes of effort resulted in absolutely no change and thus the blonde resolved to take the stranger back to camp with her. Huffing in pain she grabbed up all of the gear that had been dropped and shuffled around so that the cloaked girl, and she was about 90% sure the other person was a girl at this point, could be carried back to camp piggyback style. 

**Later at the camp of Lucy and Aquarius...**

Once Lucy had returned to camp with her possible new friend slung across her back, Aquarius had taken one look and demanded the blonde set the other person on the nearest bed roll. The mermaid had removed the girl's purple cloak to better check for injuries, and was glad to find only a few small bumps and bruises. The unknown girl would be fine in no time; ready to continue on her way as she was obviously traveling to somewhere.

While Aquarius was looking over the silver haired girl Lucy got herself dressed in a T-shirt, jeans, and a hooded sweater with cat ears on it; warming herself by the already set fire and glancing over at the other girl curiously the entire time. It wasn't until after Aquarius pronounced the girl to be okay, just banged up a little, that Lucy remembered how hungry she was. "Aqua-nee~ I'm hungry~"

"Then feed yourself you brat! There's soup over the fire like always."

Lucy practically pounced on the thin fish 'stew' she could see cooking away, far too hungry to care that anything the mermaid cooked always ended up tasting like boiled cabbage and ham. Besides, her taste buds had long since grown accustomed to the flavor since she was 'too young to cook on her own' and every meal the Spirit made was pretty much the same dish in a different configuration since they had first started training in the woods like this.

As she was busy inhaling her second bowl of soup Lucy caught a slight movement of the strange girl out of the corner of her eye. "Aqua-nee, I think she's waking up!"

"Tch. I can see that you brat. I do have eyes." The mermaid glared playfully at the blonde; amused by her excitement but annoyed that she had to state the obvious. She called the contradiction of those feelings 'Being a functioning adult figure'. None the less she floated over by the stirring silver-haired girl and watched carefully as she woke up and began taking stock of her surroundings; Aquarius taking note of her various features as she did so.

Bright blue eyes, long silver hair ending just below the shoulder blades, a pretty face with a hint of roundness that came from youth, and near flawless skin. The girl was a looker and would grow up to be more so once puberty hit. The mermaid noticed the exact second the girl realized she was no longer wearing her cloak, a panicked expression crossing her face as she quickly reached to cover her right arm from the sight of Aquarius and Lucy.

"Hey! Are you okay? Did you hurt your arm when you fell?" Lucy was near hysterical as she asked the questions, thinking that the motions meant to cover the arm were in fact caused by pain. She had always been sensitive to others pain, and Aquarius really hoped she remained that way as she got older since it was one of the blondes best personality traits. The mermaid nearly laughed out loud as she watched the blonde scramble her way over to the clearly confused silver haired girl and did her best to check the appendage over for injury.

"Um... no, my arm is fine." The silver haired girl tried pulling her arm out of the blondes inspecting grip, but failed miserably and only succeeded in nearly dragging the other girl onto her lap instead. "It... always looks this way."

"Well duh, it's an arm. I meant did you bruise or cut it when you fell earlier? It looked like you were in pain when you grabbed it like that and I was worried Aquarius had missed it when she looked you over." The mermaid huffed at the thought of missing an injury when she was actually invested in looking for one, and then realized that there seemed to be a serious miscommunication occurring between the two girls.

"Lucy, I think she is referring to the fact that her arm is not that of a normal humans when she says it always looks that way. More than likely it's a failed take-over of some type." The Celestial spirit watched both girls take in the information, noting that the new girl flinched when she mentioned Take-over magic. 'It's probably her first take-over then, and an accidental one at that.'

"Eh? Really!? It doesn't look much different to me, just purple and with claws and stuff. I thought it was normal?" The blonde celestial mage in training looked up at the girl whose arm she still held, only to recoil at the sight of tears in those bright blue eyes. "H-hey! Don't cry! Aqua-nee! Why is she crying!? Did I say something wrong?"

The blonde was flailing her arms frantically, unable to cope with the sight of tears she couldn't understand the cause of. To be honest the Mermaid thought the sight was pretty comical and apparently, the still UN-named girl agreed as she began to laugh quietly at the other girl's antics as well. The sound instantly stopped Lucy's fumbling and had her smiling at the silver haired girl with a wide grin like she had won some amazing prize.

"My name is Lucy! Please don't cry anymore because you're super pretty when you smile!" Aquarius couldn't handle the cuteness anymore as she watched the silver haired girl blush at the blondes genuine compliment, and she turned away from the scene for a moment to compose herself before she started 'cooing' at the kids like they were a pair of adorable puppies. She would never live it down if she did.

"T-thanks... my name is Mirajane, but... you can just call me Mira." The silver haired girl spoke quietly, still looking as if she really wanted to hide her arm away, but currently unable to do so in the blonde's energetic presence.

"Are you hungry Mira? There's some soup left and it's not as bad as usual either." Aquarius was quick to round on the tiny blonde at those words, a threatening aura engulfing her at the blatant offense to her cooking skills.

"And what is THAT supposed to mean!? Huh~ you brat!? Are you saying my cooking sucks!?" The mermaid got right up into the tiny blondes face, ignoring the now cowering Mira in favor of teaching her ward a lesson about insulting her abilities.

"That's right! No matter what you cook it ALWAYS tastes like boiled cabbage!" The blonde jumped up and stood tall, refusing to back down from the challenge presented to her.

"If it tastes so bad then why do you eat it? Huh~!?"

"If I didn't I'd starve, since you won't let me cook on my own yet!" The two were butting heads now, growling at each other like dogs in a familiar ritual that occurred absolutely every time Lucy said something even remotely hinting at Aquarius' lack of cooking skills. Mira, who had found her cloak nearby was now watching the show from the side of the fire next to the cooking pot, decided to taste test said soup with the nearby spoon out of curiosity.

"It's... not... that bad?" In truth Lucy was 100% correct in her description of the soup except, she had left out mention of the after taste that reminded the silver haired girl of how fish smell, but to be fair, anything was better than nothing and Mira hadn't eaten in the last few days.

"Hah! See! Wait...?" It took a second for Aquarius to realize that their guest had also indirectly called her cooking bad. "Fine! The two of you can cook for yourselves from now on!" With that the mermaid left back to the Spirit world for the day, leaving a confused Mira and a huffy Lucy to fend for themselves.

"She disappeared!?" Mira was shocked at the blue haired mermaid's disappearance; having easily accepted the fact that creatures like mermaids exist thanks to her brief exposure to the guild and the various magics there, she was not quite ready to see someone seemingly fade out of reality in a shower of gold sparkles.

"Yep. I'm a Celestial Spirit Mage; my magic is to create a bridge between this world and the Celestial Spirit Realm and allow the spirits there to cross over in order to perform various tasks as needed. Normally I have to use my magic to keep them in this world like I do with Cancer and Discord, but Aquarius is a special case. As my Guardian Celestial Spirit, she comes and goes from the Celestial Spirit Realm as she pleases using her own magical power."

Mira nodded at the explanation; understanding only that the blonde who was currently dishing up the rest of the soup into a large bowl for her was also a mage, and that the mermaid had been there because of her magic. She was far too tired and hungry to care about the details beyond that until much, much later.

"How about you Mira, what's your magic called?"

"How did you know that I'm a mage?" Looking up at the blonde in shock, she wondered how the other girl could tell and then promptly gave herself a mental slap as she remembered that the girl had seen her arm. "Never mind... I'm a Take-Over Mage, or at least that's what I was told. I still haven't been able to... use it properly... since I first got it ridding my hometown of a demon. That's why... my arm looks like this."

"You beat a demon!? Wow! You must be super strong then! I wish you could stay and train with me, it'd be awesome!" Mira looked over at the excited blonde whom bouncing in her place with a giant smile as she imagined training with the blue eyed Take-Over Mage. A feeling of belonging started to creep into the runaway's chest for the first time in a long while but was quickly tempered by the thought that she wasn't really human any more.  
Still... the blonde was literally the first person she had met since obtaining her demon arm that had considered it 100% normal at first sight and had treated it as such. Even her siblings had been afraid of it in the beginning, not that she blamed them since they had been there with her when it first manifested and even she had been freaking out. "Well... I don't really have any where I have to go. If you really want me to... I can stay and train with you... for a while."

"WOOHOO!" The blonde cheered loudly in joy at the words, and Mira somehow found herself only mildly surprised to be bound in a tight hug that threatened to cut off her air supply. "I can't wait! We're gonna have so~ much fun together!"

That feeling of belonging increased. 

**Heartfilia Ancestral Estate Summer X778**

"Alright you brats! That's enough of that for today!"

Panting and dripping with sweat, both the blue eyed Take-Over Mage and Brown-eyed Celestial Mage gratefully collapsed to the ground where they stood. It had been hours since the Blue Haired Mermaid had started them sparring against each other, forcing them to go over the numerous self defense moves she had apparently picked up from the various fighting spirits in the celestial world. It probably wouldn't have been so bad for the two girls if the mermaid hadn't chosen to use them as demonstration dummies for each new move they learned. Despite looking like a giant fish when she sported her usual tailed look, the spirit was actually ridiculously strong physically.

"Thank... the stars..."

"Why are you two lying down? I said that was enough sparring, that doesn't mean you are done training."

"Why... exactly... did I agree to... train with you?" It had been several months since Mira had stumbled upon Lucy and Aquarius, literally, and in that time she had come to be best friends with the younger blonde as well as looking up to the Mermaid as an older sister figure. Despite her feeling of belonging, she still wasn't too keen on what the Zodiac Spirits considered to be training.

"Because... you... love me." Lucy grunted her reply into the dirt where she lay; slowly pushing herself back up onto her feet before the Sadistic Mermaid Spirit could decide to punish them further.

"Actually, before we continue for the day, I have some news for the two of you." Aquarius faced the two tired pre-teens with crossed arms and a slight smirk, enjoying their pained grumbles as they worked to stand up after training for hours already. "We'll be leaving the estate soon, and heading to the Fiore Magic Library to continue with your magic training."

"Why are we... going there?" Mira was almost back to regular breathing patterns as she asked the question. The Mermaid simply pointed at the girl's arm, still the same demon arm as the first day she had met them though she no longer hid it away from them, and spoke.

"The magic library, as you can guess, has magical texts on all forms of magic including Take-Over and Celestial Spirit Magic. Despite my best attempts to help you learn to gain control of your abilities, you are still unable to change your arm back and forth at will. Therefore we will travel to the library on foot, training as we go, and once we reach there we will look up all the books we can on each of your magics." Aquarius smirked as she dropped what she considered the most important bit of information. "By the time we are done, the two of you will be some of the strongest wizards of your generation!"

If it weren't for the evil laughter Aquarius was producing, the two girls would probably have been excited about this news instead of absolutely terrified. 

**(Fairy Tail: Prologue)  
**

 **EDIT: I WROTE MORE PROLOGUE BUT DIDN'T WANT PEOPLE TO HAVE TO COME BACK TO THIS CHAPTER TO READ THE NEW PARTS. PLEASE CONTINUE TO CHAPTER 2 FOR MORE...**

 _Ending Author's notes: As you can see this is gonna be REALLY AU._

 _For one thing, Aquarius chose to remain by Layla's side, learning to open her gate under her own power to be able to do so rather than be sent away from someone she considered an actual friend. Secondly, in doing so she ended up taking a more positive and proactive role in Lucy's life, essentially becoming a big sister figure and guardian. Third, Aquarius chose to bind herself to Lucy as the Spirit equivalent of a Godmother after Layla's death, taking on a more permanent role in the girl's life to fulfill her friends last wishes._

 _These changes lead to the Mermaid spirit training the young blonde as a celestial mage from a young age, determined to have the girl capable of protecting herself no matter what she chooses to do with her life. To that end she often takes Lucy to the edge of the Heartfilia estate for days, weeks, and even months at a time for magical and physical training. It is also a way for both spirit and child to cope with the death of Layla beyond constantly moping._

 _Another major change, is that Mirajane managed to flee Magnolia and the Guild without being stopped by her siblings. Whether it was a change in course, or a matter of timing the young Take-over mage succeeded in running away from a place she felt she didn't belong. Sometime later she manages to come across Lucy and Aquarius, only to feel a sense of belonging when the young blonde treats her demon arm the same as any other. Even the guild mates who were supposed to be her family treated the arm as different, despite accepting her anyways._

 _The final basic change, is that Aquarius has chosen to utilize the accumulated information of the Magic Library to help strengthen both girls in their specific magics. Lucy would learn about Celestial magic, and though unable to utilize most of it, Heavenly Body Magic. Mira would finally learn to control her Take-Over, as well as Transformation and sleep magic which came almost naturally after gaining control of her demon form. She would also learn of the Satan Soul Spell which boosted her Take-over abilities greatly once she mastered it. Aquarius herself would use her time at the library to create a new spell set specifically for Celestial Mages, using Lucy as her guinea pig in order to perfect it._

 _Though Mira would eventually return to her guild and family, at the behest of Lucy who remained near the Magic Library to train, the two girls remained in touch regularly. Using two way communication lacrima to talk daily, as well as frequent trips to the training grounds by Mira, and 'solo' missions from the guild used as an excuse to spend time together. The two girls were the best of friends and merely waited for the day that Aquarius would allow the blonde mage to join a guild so that they could be together all the time._

 _These changes set the basis for this new version of Fairy Tail, and hopefully it is one that you will enjoy reading about._

P.S. If you see any spelling or grammar mistakes, please forgive me as my spell check says that everything was correct. I don't believe it in the least.


	2. Prologue pt 2 etd

**I EDITED PART 1 FOR SPELLING, GRAMMAR, AND FLOW. IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY, PLEASE TAKE A LOOK.**

 **Author's Note:** _OK, so I ended up writing WAY more stuff for the prologue and decided to post it as a separate chapter instead of making you all read the updated first chapter over again. Though, since I went and edited the spelling and grammar, as well as fine tuning a few things here and there to make it flow better you might as well read it again anyways. Or not. It's up to you._

 **EDIT: Just like before, I have edited this chapter for spelling, grammar, and flow.**

 **(Fairy Tail AU: Prologue part 2)**

 **Small Cabin 10km X of the Fiore Magic Library Summer X779**

"I said no, Lucy! Why can't you understand that I don't WANT to go back?"

"Because you are obviously lying to yourself, Mira! We sleep in the same bed roll; I can FEEL you crying about it at night!" A familiar sight greeted the summer morning as Lucy and Mira argued loudly about the Take-Over mage finally returning to her guild, more than a year after running away from them with no word.

"Okay, so I miss them!? That doesn't mean I want to just run off and leave you here alone!" The blonde Celestial Mage had started hinting that Mira needed to return to her siblings months ago, shortly after the blue-eyed girl had gone through a terrible spell of depression that left her both distracted and weak. Mira; however much she might miss her siblings, was almost irrationally afraid of returning only to be rejected by them, as well as not wanting to leave Lucy behind.

"I won't be alone, idiot! I have Aquarius and the other spirits!" Said spirit nodded in agreement from where she was floating while watching the girls argue. "Besides, who said you can't come back to visit!?"

"What?" The blue-eyed girl felt like hitting herself, having been so anxious about even the thought of returning that she had completely missed the obvious.

"IDIOT! Did you really think going back meant we could never see each other again!? You KNOW where we LIVE!" The blonde was practically pulling her hair out in anger, she had spent weeks going back and forth with the other girl about this and getting nowhere, only to find out that the other girl had FORGOTTEN about the MANY ways they could keep in touch. "Hell, my DAD has been sending us letters and care packages regularly for this entire time! STUPID!"

If Aquarius wasn't a magical floating mermaid, she would have fallen off of her perch in a fit of hysterical laughter at the scream of frustrated rage that Lucy had released before stalking away from the campsite clearing.

"Sigh~ I... am an idiot."

 **Small Cabin 10km X of the Fiore Magic Library Spring X780**

*Lucy~ you just have to go on this mission with me! It's absolutely perfect for us!*

Lucy sighed at the pleading image of Mira that was reflected in the small communications lacrima she owned. The Take-Over Mage had been trying to get the blonde to go on a guild sanctioned mission with her for the last few months, though Lucy was almost positive it was against some sort of rules somewhere.

"I don't know Mira. You said that last time, and the time before that, and the time before that. Even if I HAD said yes to any of those, your Master refused to let you 'solo' them because they were too dangerous."

*That's why I told him the truth! He kept asking me why I refused to form a team with anyone, and why I always want to take these types of missions solo, so I told him that I was planning to do them with my free-lance mage friend and our mentor.* The girl gave a big smile as she spoke, proud of out-witting one of the obstacles to her goal.

"He went from 'No, it's too dangerous to go alone', to 'Sure, you can go on this highly dangerous quest with these people whom I have never met', just because you said you were going to be with friends? Is your Master some type of crackpot?" Lucy was shocked that a supposed Guild Master would do something so irresponsible.

*Well~ I may have had to tell him that you and I were currently on equal footing in our spars and that our mentor was the Guardian Spirit Aquarius before he would agree, but~ once he got past the shock he was quick to say yes.* The Celestial Mage face-palmed at the obvious embellishment of the truth, knowing that it was more likely that the man had to be pestered for a week straight before finally agreeing in the end. She could understand how he felt.

"Fine. What's the mission and where am I meeting you?"

*YAY~* Mira clapped and jumped in joy as she finally won over the blonde, only stopping when Lucy repeated her questions about the mission. *Sorry~ But the mission involves a low class demon harassing some villagers from its cave nearby in the country side, and they have a silver key as part of the reward. See~ perfect!*

"I agree Little Demon; it sounds like a perfect training opportunity for the two of you!" Both teens jumped in surprise as Aquarius joined their conversation. Neither of them liked that she seemed so very excited about going on this mission, especially since they were in agreement that anything the Mermaid considered training they considered as its own version of hell.

"Now, how do we get there?"

 **Small Cabin 10km X of the Fiore Magic Library Summer X780**

"Alright you two, it's time we had 'The Talk'." Aquarius floated before Mira and Lucy; the girls sat on a log they used as a bench by their fire pit, each of them fidgeting gently at the mermaid's tone of voice.

"What's, 'The Talk'?" Lucy was the one to ask, having less exposure to people in general than Mira, and to things like love and sex specifically. The silver-haired girl blushed bright red at the question, but made absolutely no motions to answer.

"It looks like Mira already has some idea of what I'm talking about, but, I'll be honest with you, Spirits see this subject much differently than humans do and because of that I'll be giving you the condensed Spirits version." The mermaid spoke bluntly, watching the girls reactions as she spoke and seeing interest in both sets of eyes.

"Now, 'The Talk', is how humans generally refer to a parent or guardian informing their child about sex and love. They find the discussion to be embarrassing since they are generally brought up to think of sex as something, not dirty exactly but not talked of except with your preferred partner. Having helped raise Lucy, I did my best to keep her away from those types of human conceptions wanting her to be comfortable once this time did come." Looking at the girls Aquarius could see that she had done a good job, as where Mira was still blushing red in embarrassment just from the topic; Lucy was absorbing the knowledge without hesitation, the same as she did with any new information.

"We'll start with what humans tend to see as the 'proper' form of romantic love; the relationship being similar to what I have with Scorpio. Though sex is not exactly necessary to have a healthy relationship of any variety it is often a component in romantic love, and this particular form of relationship is generally between someone who identifies as male, and someone who identifies as female."

"Aqua-nee, what do you mean by someone who 'identifies' as a male or female?"

"Spirits have been around for longer than there have been humans, and in that time we have continued to change from what we once were. To us, there is no permanence in the concept of 'male or female'. Many spirits find it easiest to attribute a particular gender to themselves as the situation, their desire, or their summoner calls for, while others will keep to one or the other for a majority of their existence. Some prefer to remain without gender entirely, and yet others consider themselves to be both male and female all at once."

"How about you Aqua-nee? Have you always been just a mermaid, or were you once a merman?" Lucy seemed to be in deep thought as she asked the question that seemed most pertinent to her.

"First off, asking that kind of question can be considered rude, so it's best to just take these things at face value unless specifically told otherwise. As for myself... I think I was male for a while when the stars were still new, but I honestly can't remember that far back." Aquarius noticed that Mira finally seemed comfortable with the conversation, as she had stopped blushing and instead leaned forward eager to learn more. She decided to continue with her lesson.

"Continuing on, the next most common form of romantic love is one that involves two people who identify as the same sex, for example two women, or two men, in a sexual relationship. Generally speaking, the relationship itself is similar to one between opposite sexes, with of course the physical act of sex being the largest difference." This time she caught both girls blushing lightly, probably thinking of the kiss they had been sharing right before she had decided to interrupt them for this very talk.

"There are romantic and non romantic relationships that involve sex for any number of pairing types; for example a close friendship that includes sex as a means of comfort, bonding, or play, while sexual in nature is not necessarily romantic despite a mutual feeling of some form of love. There are also those relationships that can involve multiple partners, whether all the participants are equally with each other or they have agreed to only certain combinations with each other." She paused for a second thinking of how to best explain what she had learned over hundreds of years and countless life experiences in the simplest of terms.

"Really, I could probably have summed this whole conversation up with, **'each person is unique in their identity, and their expression of love. There is no one right way to love someone, and as long as it is agreeable for all of those directly involved there is no defined wrong way to love someone either. Love is Love.'** Though, I guess I should also mention that while there are healthy relationships of all types that should be allowed to flourish, there are just as many unhealthy ones that need to fade away in order to protect those involved. In that, at least, both Humans and Spirits can agree fully."

"That was beautiful Aqua-nee!" Lucy was looking at the Mermaid with starry eyes; her life philosophy expanded that much further by the spirits take on love.

"Thanks, but I did say 'The Talk' was about love AND sex, right? We've talked a little about romantic love, and I know the two of you understand the concepts of Family and Friends well enough. So now we talk about sex; what it is factually, what it can mean to those people involved in the act, safe sex, the consequences of unprotected sex, and finally basic techniques and fetishes. Any questions?"

"Yeah, why the hell is Mira so red?" 

**Small Cabin 10km X of the Fiore Magic Library January X781**

"Damnit! I can't believe that armored hussy got S-Class before me! Stupid Cheating Bitch!" Lucy watched with feigned interest as the agitated Take-Over Mage paced the confines of their small cabin, ranting and raving about her loss in the S-class exams only two weeks ago.

Personally, she couldn't care less about the title, but knew that Mira wanted to be able to take missions that involved higher level Demons so that she could continue getting stronger. After all, a Take-Over's power was limited by the physical form of the creature they absorbed. As it was now, Mira was actually stronger without using her magic than the first Demon she ever obtained.

"That does it! Lucy! We're going hunting!" The blonde was snapped out of her thoughts at the sudden turn of conversation, confused by what the other teen meant by 'hunting'.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You heard me! I snagged all the Demon and Celestial Key related quests from the guild board before coming here! We're gonna do them all and get stronger, then I'll show that stuck up red-head not to look down on me!" Lucy was nervous now; Mira was REALLY worked up this time, so much so she was starting to sound like Aquarius when she got on one of her 'training time' rants.

"Uh, aren't you supposed to get those approved by your Master before doing them?"

"That's the best part; since there were only 5 quests he went ahead and approved all of them for me!" The smile Mira wore as she said that did not fill Lucy with the warm feelings she usually got around the other girl; in fact it kind of terrified her. That Aquarius had apparently heard the entire rant and was just as willing to send them into the unknown made it all the worse.

The blonde let out a tired sigh before smiling at the two nuts she was saddled with for the long-term. "Alright, I guess I'm in. Where do we head to first?"

 _'The things we do for love.'_

 **Small Cabin 10km X of the Fiore Magic Library Late Spring X781**

"Are you sure this is a good idea Mira? I know you want to get stronger and all but..." Lucy watched as the Take-Over Mage continued to prepare the area for her upcoming spell attempt with the help of Aquarius, the Mermaid surprisingly subdued as she worked.

"I know it's dangerous, but the Satan Soul spell is MADE for Demon Take-Over mages. If it works right, I'll be much more powerful overall and far less prone to listen to my demons in the heat of battle." Despite sounding confident, Mira looked as nervous as Lucy felt.

"That's because you won't HAVE any demons, you'll BE the demon! Literally! You're merging THEIR essence and abilities with YOUR body and magic to form a whole new self! You could essentially die, Mira!" Lucy was getting desperate as she tried to talk her friend out of performing the ancient magic once more.

"Damnit Lucy! I know all that!" She turned to her blonde friend in misplaced anger, pointing desperately at her head as she did so. "But I want to be able sleep again without hearing their _annoying_ fucking whispers!"

"Sigh~ I know. I'm just... worried." Biting her lip in apology, Lucy continued on with more confidence as she reached a decision. "But, I'll help anyways. You need to do this to be truly happy, and that's all I really want for you so..."

"Thanks." Brown and Blue eyes locked, filled with understanding and love. They would have hugged each other if not for a loud 'Tch' from the UN-happy Mermaid reminding them she was there. "We should finish helping Aquarius."

"Alright, but I want you to promise me something before we go through with this." Brown eyes bore deeply into blue, determination shining bright as she spoke with authority. "Promise that you won't listen to those ass-hole demons for even a second! YOU are the one in charge of YOU, and if I have to save you from even one of those idiots I won't let you live it down for the rest of our lives! Got that!?"

Mira looked at the determined blonde, her posture radiating authority as she pointed imperiously at the silver haired girl. The image of her standing there with such assurance combined with the words she spoke filled the blue-eyed mage with a new found confidence. Cracking a grin, she answered in the only way she knew how. "Got it."

"If you two are done flirting over there, I already finished setting everything up."

"Sorry Aquarius. Thanks for all the help with this though." Mira smiled at the agitated spirit gratefully as she took her place in the prepared area.

"Don't thank me until it's over brat. The spell is going to take a lot out of you, so you need to subdue ALL the demon essences before you run out of magic. Remember, you only get one shot at this so concentrate and get it done!" Standing side by side with her key-holder, Aquarius wished the girl before her a silent good luck.

"Mira!" Lucy's sudden yell drew the attention of both other girls. "You had better win quickly if you ever want to be able to kiss me again!" Mira smiled dreamily before suddenly filling with a new determination as she began the spell. Aquarius snorted in mild amusement as she realized which one of the two friends was actually the perverted one in their relationship.

 **Later...**

The spell itself had taken only minutes to invoke, but the intended effects had no set time frame according to either Old Man Crux or the book they had found it in. It all depended on the mage, the number of souls they intended to merge, and the will power of those involved. Thankfully, the combination of Mira's magic power and will managed to overwhelm the five low level demon souls she had acquired in her preparation for this very spell; the battle of wills draining the Take-Over Mage completely but also taking only a little over an hour all together to finish.

For the two watching the spell it had been beyond horrible. Each demon she conquered and merged with herself had changed some physical part of the Take-Over Mage irreparably as she stole their essence and power for herself in its entirety. Little by little she had forcibly changed to become an entirely new being before their very eyes.

The worst part for the pair though was the obvious torment each change caused as it occurred. Mira's pained cries echoing through the air in time to the cracks of bone shifting and the tearing of flesh as her body changed its shape over and over again. If they had not been determined to endure this sight as a testament to their love of the Take-Over mage, each woman would have turned away 10 times over before the end had finally come.

Standing before them as her newly reborn demon self, naked and exhausted from her ordeal, Mira managed to utter only a short statement before collapsing unconscious into their arms. Despite everything that had occurred up to that point, both Celestial Spirit and Mage smiled.

"I win..." 

**Small Cabin 10km X of the Fiore Magic Library January X782**

"WHOO! You are looking at Fairy Tail's newest S-Class Mage baby!" Said mage was currently dancing like an idiot in the enclosed space of the cabin she had come to call a second home.

"Congratulations Mira! I knew you could do it." Watching the childish dancing with a smile, Lucy couldn't help but find the other mage absolutely adorable in her enthusiasm.

"Yeah! I was already a shoe in candidate from last year, but Satan Soul Mira put me over the top! I even beat the crap out of Erza~" She broke off into maniacal laughter at the memory of one-upping her rival before stopping it to pout as she remembered what Master had ordered immediately after she was crowned the victor. "Can you believe Master said I'm not allowed to fight with Erza anymore? That totally bites~"

"Actually, I can. You and I can end up causing tons of damage when we spar seriously, and Erza is obviously on the same level if all of your complaints about her are true. If the two of you went at it even semi-seriously there would be a lot of broken buildings to repair. I don't think your Master wants to spend all that money every time you think rearranging her face would be better than just walking away."

Mira took on a serious face of contemplation as she walked over and dropped onto the bed next to Lucy, snuggling into the other girl's warmth without thought. Lucy, used to these sorts of moments, simply turned herself to better cuddle with the distracted mage as she let her work out whatever it was she was thinking so hard about.

"Do you think he would let me fight her if I promised NOT to use magic?" The question was said with such sincerity that Lucy couldn't help but laugh at the other mages cuteness. "Don't laugh Lucy! I was serious!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! But, you're just too cute sometimes!" Pouting at the blonde, Mira rolled to face away from her without leaving the warmth of her arms. She was only slightly miffed that the other mage had laughed at her, but knew it wasn't meant maliciously. Plus the blonde had called her cute which always made her happy. "But... I'm sure he would let it slide if you got Erza to agree to also not use magic when you two fight in the guild."

"Really!?" Mira was quick to turn herself back over and face the blonde at those words, a large happy grin taking over her face at the thought of beating Erza's smug face in whenever she wanted. "You're so devious sometimes, Lucy~ I love it!"

The words were punctuated with a quick excited kiss to the lips, which turned into a second longer kiss, and then a third. More followed and soon enough so did hands as teenage hormones took full control of the situation, leading to a very NSFW experience between the girls. Unfortunately for them, Aquarius proved that she still had the same knack for horrible timing that Layla had cursed repeatedly over the years as she materialized in the human world at the 'height' of their time together.

The Mermaid didn't stop laughing at the pair's embarrassed faces for a week.

 **Small Cabin 10km X of the Fiore Magic Library Late Fall X782**

Rain fell steadily against the roof of their tiny cabin, a fitting accompaniment to the heart wrenching sobs being emitted by a distraught silver-haired mage. Wrapped as she was in the warm embrace of her dearest friend, Mira felt safe enough to let all the pain she felt at her sister's death flow free. An unwelcome surge of magic triggered by her emotional state had the Take-over mage changing forms against her will, her magical control completely shot from the effects of deep trauma.

"Sorry-"  
"Don't be! Just take your time and let it out, I've got you." The celestial mage tightened her grip on the currently demonic figure of her best friend, wishing she could absorb the others pain but settled for making sure the blue-eyed girl felt safe enough to share it with her as much as possible. "I've got you."

 **Some days later...**

They had spent days just hugging and crying as Mira mourned her loss while Lucy did her best to comfort the distraught mage. Many times had the eldest Strauss sibling's magic flared with her emotions, often triggering a transformation into her Satan Soul and back without meaning to. Lucy took the transformations in stride, seeing no true difference between one form and another since they were both Mira's real body in her eyes, and simply continued whatever they had been doing as if nothing had changed in the slightest.

Aquarius, uncomfortable with the show of raw human emotion chose to leave the two girls to themselves unless otherwise necessary. Though the mermaid spirit cared deeply for the Take-over mage in her own way, she knew that she was not exactly tactful when it came to human sorrow and chose to leave the majority of the comforting up to Lucy. Plus, she really didn't care to 'walk' in on the two during another intimate moment should the comforting happen to shift into a more physical territory; the last two times she had done so being more than enough for all parties involved.

However, today the spirit planned to address an important concern that couldn't really wait for much longer. Carefully she peeked into the one room cabin they all called home, and seeing only sleeping mages chose to wake them up in a somewhat gentle manner. A glass of ice cold water later and the blonde mage was wide awake and hissing at her like a wet cat. "What the hell was that for!?"

"I know she's still upset, but we have to talk about something important. Wake her up and meet me outside once you're ready." The mermaid was all business as she spoke, quickly leaving the second she was done speaking.

Several long minutes later the pair of mages exited the cabin and came to a stop in front of the currently Human looking Water Bearer. "If you called us out here just to talk about how great your Human legs are again-"

"Idiot! That's not what we have to talk about!" The spirit cut off the blonde before she could finish her sentence, and chose to concentrate on the matter at hand. "We need to talk about the Little Demon's Magic, or more specifically her current lack of control."

"Hey! It's not her fault! She'll get better we just have to give her time!"

"Shut up Brat! This is serious!" Aquarius shut the protesting blonde up with her most fearsome glare to date. "I'm not saying that she can't mourn or be sad about her loss, but Mira's magic going out of control like this is dangerous! The most important reason being that Take-Over mages literally absorb the creature they become and suppress its will with their own. While her base Satan Soul is no different from her human body in terms of will and control, The Demon Sitri is another matter entirely."

Both teen-aged mages took the mermaids words into serious consideration. Lucy was shocked, and also a little bit scared since she had no love for the Will behind the Demon that had almost killed the three of them and enjoyed every second of it. She was especially not happy with the thought that it might over power and then take Mira from her in order to live free once more. Mira on the other hand, remembering all the warnings that went along with the learning of her magic, had already figured this was the case the first time she had changed against her will on the day of Lisanna's death. It was actually the main reason she had chosen to leave the guild and thus her little brother behind once more.

"I sort of figured that was the case." Though still deeply depressed, Mira was determined to be able to work past this issue so that she could safely return and comfort her remaining sibling.

"What!?" Lucy's head swerved to look at the blue-eyed mage so fast her neck cracked.

"Good, you actually paid attention to the warnings about using the advanced forms of Take-Over magic. Now comes the hard part though." The teens minds flashed back to all the years of dealing with a sadistic Aquarius and the torture that she had considered 'training' as the Mermaid gave them a familiar menacing smile.

"Time to train~" 

**Small Cabin 10km X of the Fiore Magic Library Early Summer X783**

"I think that's about all of it. Who knew we had so much stuff?" The three long-term inhabitants of the tiny cabin were hard at work packing everything away. While not a lot of items had been accumulated over the years of their stay, it was more than enough to fill the two large wheeled suitcases and single travel pack to the brim.

"At least it's still manageable, you should see the amount of things my brother has managed to gather since joining Fairy Tail." The silver-haired teenager took a moment to look over the campsite for any stray items as she spoke, not wanting to accidentally leave something behind.

"To be fair, people often tend to accumulate various items when they live somewhere long-term." Aquarius was also taking a moment to double check that nothing would be left behind, not really wanting to have to backtrack once they were on the road.

"True~ but still, about half of this stuff is junk Dad sent me and the other half is stuff Mira brought back from her missions. Only about a quarter of any of it is actually useful to us on the road." Lucy was gesturing to the three different bags as she spoke, ignoring the huffy glare from the take-over mage at the mention of her contributions to the items.

"Speaking of the road, are you sure you don't want to join us Little Demon? You know you are more than welcome."

"Yeah, I'm sure. I've been able to control my magic properly for a while now, and while I'll miss you guys, I should probably make sure my little brother is doing okay after everything that happened." Both Celestial Spirit and Celestial Spirit Mage nodded, agreeing that it was past time for Mira to be with her remaining sibling. "Besides~ this way I can make sure you have a reason to come and join Fairy Tail!"

"I already promised I would, you don't have to bribe me into it!" The blonde mage pouted cutely at the blue-eyed girl, knowing perfectly well that she was being teased but unable to resist playing along.

"That's right, but who knows WHEN you would join if I didn't give you an actual reason to do so." The teasing smile Mira gave the blonde as she spoke widened at the sheepish grin she received in reply. "See, even you agree!"

"Okay, so it may have taken a while, but I would have done so eventually!"

"If you say so, but in all seriousness I expect you to show up before the end of next summer! I want to be able to go on adventures together as an official team; like you promised!" Mira pointed a demanding finger at her friend, daring her to say no to something she had been talking about for years now.

"Fine, I'll come to Magnolia before the end of next summer and join the guild so we can be a team. But~ you have to go that entire time without picking a fight with Erza!" Both Spirit and Blonde mage watched as a look of contemplation crossed the Take-over mages face, the silent war in her head written plainly on her features. They could both almost hear the girls thought process. Did she get what she wanted by sacrificing something she enjoyed, or did she keep the status quo?

"What if SHE starts the fight?"

"You can defend yourself obviously, but if you can end the fight without coming to blows then you had better do so. Malicious verbal arguments without violence count as fighting." The take-over mage went back to contemplating the choices. At this point both Aquarius and Lucy were a little surprised with how seriously Mira was treating the request that the blonde had thrown out there as a joke.

"Hnnnn~ fine! I'll do it!" Apparently Mira REALLY wanted Lucy to join the guild, since they were well aware that one of her all-time favorite things to do was bait her supposed rival into fights regularly. It was officially FAR too late for the blonde to even hint at the fact that she was only joking or she risked invoking the worst of the Demon's wrath.

"G-good! It's a deal!"

 **(Fairy Tail: Prologue)**

 _Ending Author's notes: As you can see this is gonna be REALLY AU._

 ** _Magic Theory with Aquarius Sensei- a guide to basic magic terminology_**

 _This section will be at the bottom of each chapter and will feature either; a quick rundown of the changes/theories I have on several forms of magic OR a set of Character information that features the changes made from official cannon. These are not necessary to the story, but may provide a bit of clarification and background information to the Alternate Universe I am building._

 ** _Today's topic: Magic Terminology_**

 _ **Celestial Spirit Magic** \- Celestial Spirit Mages use specially contracted gate keys as a magical focus in order to create a bridge between this world and the Celestial spirit realm, allowing spirits to cross over to perform various tasks as needed. The spirits use the magic of their key-holder not only to arrive, but to remain and function in the Human Realm, though they rarely stay for very long as it is physically painful for them to remain there. The act of summoning and maintaining a gate takes a large amount of magic from the mage in question though most mages do not understand the actual energy requirements necessary for even the weakest of Spirits. This lack of understanding has lead to the wide spread belief that Celestial Mages are weak or cowardly because they 'hide' behind the so called strength of their summoned spirits, a strength which is directly proportionate to the magical strength of their key-holder._

 _ **Guardian Spirit** \- A Celestial Spirit can form a contract within the bounds of Celestial Law that allows them to essentially 'adopt' a human mage in the same manner as the custom of legal god-parents. The contract must be approved by the Celestial Spirit King to be binding, as it allows the contracted spirit the freedom to move between the worlds under their own power at will in order to watch over their chosen mage. Aquarius' contract was approved based on her previous ability to open her own gate and the promise she had made with her previous key-holder Layla Heartfilia. Guardian Spirits are contracted for the Life of the Mage, and no magic beyond the destruction of either mage or key can break the bond._

 _ **Take-over Magic** \- Take-Over mages utilize a magic that absorbs the physical being of the target and subsumes its will with that of the mages, allowing them to freely use the creatures form and abilities as their own. Those mages with weak wills run the risk of losing themselves and being controlled in place of doing the controlling, especially against beings of advanced intelligence or will power such as the Beast King and various Demons._

 _ **Ancient Spell: Satan Soul** \- The Ancient Spell Satan Soul was developed specifically for those rare users of Demon Take-Over magic who risked madness from the number of demons they had absorbed over time as, unlike other creatures Demons retained their own free will and would often influence the mage over time in an attempt to wrest back control. Designed to essentially kill the Demon and steal its power in whole, the mage would gain a new take-over form in place of those they sacrificed upon successful completion. The new form is one that would suit the combined demonic abilities and was known as the 'other self' as the mage became capable of retaining their new body indefinitely, only requiring their magic to trigger the switch between the two forms instead of maintaining the take-over. Enhanced senses and minor demonic abilities are often retained by the mages 'Human' self as a side-effect of becoming a hybrid demon. **"Though they retain a Human heart and Mind, they will have sacrificed the physical form of humanity for the intangible assurance of mental self. –Author's note on the spell for Satan Soul."**_

P.S. If you see any spelling or grammar mistakes, please forgive me as my spell check says that everything was correct. I don't believe it in the least.


	3. Chapter 01

**Fairy Tail AU: Choice and Change -Chapter 01- Ports, Reunions, and First Missions**

 **By KttyKiwi**

 **Disclaimer** : I don't own Fairy Tail or anything associated with it, someone much more famous than me does. (Hiro Mashima)

 **Rating:** Currently **T** but I may or may not need to up the overall rating to **M** thanks to the characters getting away from me at times. If after reading the chapter you think the rating should go up please PM me and let me know why.

 **Authors Notes:** _Here comes chapter One in my Fairy Tail AU. Once again it's a story where Lucy is the 'main character' with some different powers and relationships in the world created by Mashima-sensei. I personally love reading fan fiction, and especially ones where Lucy can show that she's not just a 'weak and useless fan-service character' as so many people like to think of her. But at the same time, I'm pretty bored with all the Over Powered and Lucy revenge fics as well, despite that I'll still read them. (Got to get my fix somehow ;p)_

 _To that end I present to you a world where Lucy is able to live up to her potential from the start, and cultivate new relationships that are (hopefully) more healthy than a boy who breaks into her house despite being repeatedly asked not to, eats all her food without replacing it, and regularly sleeps in her bed within only days of knowing her. While I don't hate Natsu as a character, I do hate the idea of a romantic NaLu pairing so if that is what you are looking for please leave. Same for those of you who like the thought of a JeRza pairing; it is literally the only pairing I happen to outright HATE with a passion. Probably because Erza deserves soooo much better than that ass hat Jellal (who I am convinced should have just died during the Tower of Heaven Arc, but whatever)..._

 _Anyways, enough ranting. Enjoy the chapter and your first look at the changed world of Fairy Tail._

 _SPECIAL SHOUT OUT to (Guest)MoonSerenity for making my day by calling my story a work of art! Thanks so much! AND thanks also to all of you who have chosen to follow, favorite, or review, your acknowledgement gives me the urge to continue with my writing!_

 **.**

 **(Fairy Tail AU: Chapter 01)**

.

 **Kingdom of Fiore, Port Town of Hargeon, Early Summer X784**

 **.**

"Eeeeh!? There's only one magic store in this town?"

"Yes... this town is more prosperous in fishing than magic. Only less than 10% of the townspeople can use magic, so this store is mainly for travelling mages." The sales clerk, a rather short old man wearing a robe and small conical hat with a puff on the end, spoke directly to his disappointed customers. The pair of young women, one of whom sported a large travelling pack, looked to be exactly his type of clientele.

"I think I've wasted my time." The shorter teen-aged woman wearing the pack had honey brown eyes framed by two long blonde bangs, the rest of her hair pulled up into a fluffy looking pony-tail that was held in place by a long black ribbon patterned with tiny white laughing skulls.

The clothes she had on were well worn and consisted of; a black fitted sleeveless top that zippered up the front with the famous Heart Kreuz Cross emblem forming over her large chest in electric blue, a pair of knee high black leather combat boots with royal purple laces, and a pair of dark blue distressed jean shorts that ended at mid thigh and were being held in place by a thin white leather belt.

A set of silver keys hung in place against her right hip while a single golden gate key resting at the hollow of her throat on a white-silver chain, the key drawing attention to the large black line tattoo running over her collar bones matching the one on her companion. Two more tattoos representing the Zodiac Symbols for Cancer and Taurus were also visible; each on her lower left thigh and upper right shoulder respectively in a metallic gold color matching the key at her neck.

"Please don't say that and have a look around. We have some new items, too."

"Tch. The only thing we're interested in is gate keys. Do you have any?" The much taller woman, who looked to be in her late 20's had sapphire colored eyes and straight hair a light shade of bright blue reaching to over a foot below her waist.

Her outfit seemed pristine in comparison to her companion's and consisted of; a dark blue string bikini top with a white line design running along the top edges of the cups, a pair of simple brown leather sandals, and a flowing blue skirt the same shade as her hair with two slits running down from hip to ankle being held closed by three large golden rings at each thigh.

Her skirt was held in place by a braided yellow belt matching the bracelets upon each wrist, the color going well with the two golden arm bands resting on her biceps and the golden circlet accented in silver that sat upon her brow; a small drop shaped sapphire dangling from the center point to sit at the midpoint of her brows. Finishing off her look was a thick navy blue choker, the banded fabric covering most of her neck with its size and resting just above the line tattoo that spread from shoulder to shoulder across her collar bones

"Gate keys, huh? Those are pretty uncommon, but I think we have a few of the silver ones." He directed both women over to a glass case containing a set of 3 silver keys. "Let's see, we have one of the Nikora, one of the Serpens, and the key for Pyxis the Compass. Are you interested in them?"

"What do you think Aqua-nee? We don't have the key for a Nikora or Pyxis yet, despite Mira's job choices." The blonde turned to her blue haired companion in question and waited for the verdict.

"It depends brat, how much is this guy going to charge us for them?"

"Normally the keys for a Nikora and the Pyxis are 20,000 and 50,000 Jewel respectively, however if you purchase both at once I can discount you to 60,000J for the pair." The old man took one look at the angry face of the blue-haired woman as she registered his prices, and promptly decided to offer a 'special' discount in order to keep himself in good health. "D-did I say 60,000J? I meant 50- no 40,000J! Just for today! It's a price that can't be beat!"

"Tch. We'll take the deal, hurry up and pay brat I'm getting hungry." The blue-haired woman made to walk out of his shop and the old man was able to breathe properly again.

 **.**

 **(Fairy Tail AU: Chapter 01)**

.

"Good job getting that discount Aqua-nee!" The blonde from the shop was happily following her blue-haired companion down the street while carefully attaching the two newest keys to her belt; making for a total of 6 silver keys.

"That guy was charging more than double the normal price just because he's the only shop in town! It's bad enough we have to _buy_ more spirits; that they are so ridiculously expensive offends me on a deeply personal level. He's lucky I didn't wash his whole shop away!" The Blue- haired woman grit her teeth in anger as she spoke, only stopping when she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Come on Aquarius, would you really have been any happier if he was charging the 'fair' price, or even just giving them away like they weren't worth anything at all? Weren't you the one who told me that 'Despite how we feel about it, all we are able to do is convince people to treat Spirits with respect through example.'?" The Mermaid Spirit in Human form smiled at the young blonde, before quickly turning away as she realized things were getting emotional.

"Tch. Damnit Lucy, why do you always have to say that kind of stuff? It actually makes you sound cool instead of the brat you usually are." Lucy just laughed at her Guardian Spirits usual attitude, and quickly settled her attention onto a passing group of screaming girls.

"KYAAH!"

"It's Salamander-sama!"

"He's so hot!"

"I want his Autograph!"

"What the hell are they screaming about?" Aquarius had also begun paying attention to the screaming fan-girls, more confused than truly interested.

"Salamander? Isn't that the name of a Fairy Tail mage?"

"I don't remember, if he is then Little Demon probably told us about him a while back. But still, if he really is a Fairy Tail mage maybe we can hitch a ride to the guild with him?" Aquarius still didn't really care overly much about the screaming banshees they had begun to follow, but she did want to save money whenever possible and having a famous mage pay for their Train tickets seemed like a good deal to her.

"You know we can always just call her and ask for directions instead of this 'wander until we arrive' method you continue to insist upon." Lucy gave the Mermaid Spirit a mild glare as she spoke, remembering all the times they had gotten lost since they had first set out for the city of Magnolia; well over a month and a half ago.

"If we asked for directions then it wouldn't be training! Besides, trains cost money and I'd rather spend the little we have on real necessities."

"You mean things like edible food and gate keys?"

"Shut it brat, or we won't be buying lunch!" Finally the two had arrived at the outskirts of a large gathering of screaming women, all shouting out for their 'Salamander-sama'. Not caring to be polite in the least, Aquarius simply started pushing her way into the center of the throng so she could get a good look at the possible Fairy Tail mage; several fan-girls finding themselves literally thrown to the side thanks to a combination of the woman's inhuman strength and her general disregard for idiots.

What she found was a tall, blue-haired man in a distinctively patterned cape and a stylized tattoo resembling the mathematical symbol for infinity sat on the brow just above the right eye. A white short-sleeved button up shirt paired with brown pin stripe slacks and a set of simple leather shoes completed his look.

He was definitely a type of fire mage from the feel of his magic signature, but the two rings on his right hand gave off a different feel and caught her attention the second she laid eyes on the man. Without even looking she reached out and grabbed her brat by the back of the neck as she drew even, forcing her to look away from the man calling himself Salamander before she could lay eyes on him.

"He's using a charm spell Lucy, there's no way that scum like that would belong to the Fairy Tail guild."

"What? Isn't charm magic illegal?" The blonde tried to turn her head and look at the Spirit beside her, but was unable to due to the still firm grip upon her neck. "Uh, you can let go of me now by the way."

"Nah, I kind of like being able to drag you around like a naughty puppy. It fits your personality to a tee." The Mermaid Spirit smirked as she started dragging the shorter girl away from the crowd, vaguely hearing some guy shouting about 'Igneel' and causing a commotion as they walked off. "Heel brat! Bwahahaha!"

"Damnit Aqua-nee~ let me go~" The blonde whined, causing Aquarius to laugh harder as she evoked the image of sad puppy being punished for making a mess. Never let it be said that teasing Lucy wasn't fun for the Mermaid.

"-party on the ship tonight. Please come." The obviously fake Salamander was flying away above them on some type of fire magic, his last words catching Aquarius' interest as something to look into; since anything that a creep who used illegal magic wanted to accomplish was bound to be just as illegal.

"Oh~ Maybe we can turn him in for a reward?"

"What was that?"

"Nothing Lucy. Let's go get some food, I'm starving~!"

 **.**

 **(Fairy Tail AU: Chapter 01)**

 **.**

A little over an hour later both women sat on a park bench, happy and full. Aquarius was deep in thought about her plans for the coming night, while Lucy read her new copy of Sorcerer Weekly Magazine.

"Fairy Tail caused trouble again!?"

"What did they do this time?" Aquarius came out of her planning long enough to find out what was happening with the members of their future guild.

"Says here that they destroyed the Devon Thief Family, but also destroyed 7 other houses that belonged to the townspeople..." Both women burst out into loud laughter at the rampant destruction that followed in the wake of that rambunctious group of mages. Calming down a bit, Lucy turned the page to come face to face with a half naked Mirajane Strauss and nearly bit her tongue out of surprise. "Whoa!"

"What's wrong now?" Instead of choosing to answer verbally Lucy simply handed the Mermaid her magazine, face lightly flushed from the images. "Oh~ so she decided to do the shoot after all? Not bad, though these seem far too tame for a girl like her, right? Maybe, she'll do a 'special spread' just for you once we've joined."

Lucy went to speak; a scathing retort ready to fly off her tongue only to be interrupted as the false Salamander chose that moment to jump out of the bushes right behind their park bench.

"I see. You two want to join Fairy Tail."

"S-salamander!? Where the _hell_ did you come from!?" Aquarius was livid that the man had been following them, but decided to let Lucy handle this. For now.

"I've been looking all over for you two; I really wanted to invite beautiful ladies such as yourselves to the party on our ship." The man began dragging himself from the bushes as he spoke, coming to a full stand by the end of his sentence.

"You do realize that your 'Charm' spell won't work on us right? We already know about it, and that magic's weakness is 'awareness'." Lucy quickly stood and put a bit of distance between the man and her, unwilling to have him within touching distance.

"I knew you were mages the second I saw you! But, it's okay. I'd be happy if you just come to the party."

"You're an idiot. There's no way we would come to the party of a guy who has to resort to 'Charm' magic to get girls." Lucy turned away from the fake and began to walk away at a swift pace.

"Wait!" 'Salamander' called out to the blonde as he began to follow, an almost invisible smirk on his face as he spoke his next words. "You... wanted to join Fairy Tail, right? Haven't you ever heard of Fairy Tail's Salamander?"

" _You're_ a Fairy Tail mage?" Lucy kept her voice steady as she spoke, trying not to let her disgust show so soon.

"I am. If you ladies want to join, I can talk to the Master for you. Come to my party tonight and it's a done deal!"

"Sure~ we'll come. What time does the party start?" Aquarius finally chose this time to butt in, wanting Lucy to keep her cool until later.

"The party starts at 8, see you ladies there!" Both girls waved the man away half-heartedly, waiting until he was well out of ear shot to speak to each other.

"I'm almost positive that guy was lying through his teeth! Do you think we should let Mira know about him using Fairy Tail's name?" Lucy looked up at her guardian in question, letting the older woman take the lead. "After all, there's still a small chance he really _does_ belong to Fairy Tail."

"Give her a call and ask her about the real Salamander. If it's him, have her let the Master know he's up to no good. If it's not him, well..." The Mermaid Spirit smirked evilly. "Real or not he made me angry and now he's going to pay, the only difference is the price."

 **.**

 **(Fairy Tail AU: Chapter 01)**

 **.**

At 7 o'clock exactly, the two women made their way across the docks and to the large ship that had been identified as 'Salamander's. Both were dressed exactly the same as they had been that morning, minus Lucy's pack which was currently in the Celestial Spirit world, and Aquarius' sandals that she had lost at some point on their way through town. Striding up to the gang plank leading on to the main deck they were halted by a well built man, obviously some form of hired muscle working with their target.

"Hey! The party don't start for another hour; you girls gotta wait till then!"

"Party?" Lucy feigned ignorance before jumping straight to rabid fan-girl mode in an attempt to make sure that they were actually at the right ship. They didn't need to destroy the wrong place _again_ after all. "Does that mean this is _The_ Salamander-sama's ship? Is he here right now!? Can we see him!?"

"Uh, yeah, he's here. He's gettin' everything ready for later, but like I said the party doesn't start for an hour. Come back then." The man was obviously under estimating them, especially with Lucy's fan-girl impression.

"Tch. This was too easy. Grab him and let's go brat, I want to make sure we're far enough out I don't accidentally flood the whole city." Aquarius made to move onto the ship, her power over the water already in motion to release the mooring ties and set them adrift. The man went to grab her as she started past him, confused by the words but not willing to let them on board. He didn't make it any further than to shift in her direction before a sudden strong punch to the diaphragm knocked him into unconsciousness.

The second Aquarius had begun moving for the deck; Lucy was calling on one of the unique spells she had obtained through a specialized form of contract with the Golden Zodiac Spirits. The chant of ' _Bulls Rush'_ transformed the golden symbol of Taurus, tattooed on her right shoulder, into a spell seal that flowed out and across her body like ink; the golden light seeping into her flesh imbuing her with a small measure of the represented spirits immense strength. Before the spell was even fully complete she was moving to intercept the oaf trying to stop them from boarding, and a quick punch later was carrying the man onto the boat with ease.

The instant both women were standing atop the deck the ship was lurching away from the port as Aquarius used her abilities to drag them out into deeper waters. This of course alarmed the ships inhabitants and a multitude of rough and dirty men poured onto the deck; many armed with basic weapons fearing that the ship was under attack. They were right of course, but shock at the sight of a rapidly distancing shore immobilized them just long enough to bring the women's real target onto deck.

"What the hell is going on out here!?" 'Salamander' had arrived, his voice demanding an answer from anyone and everyone.

"Hello again~ I know we're early for the party but there was something my friend here wanted to talk to you about in private!" Lucy waved cutely as she smiled wildly at those gathered before gesturing to Aquarius, the men gawking at the small blonde carrying a person more than twice her size. "Oh~ that's right, you probably want your friend back. Here you go!"

Quickly and seemingly effortlessly she flung the large man into the nearest concentration of armed ruffians, knocking more than a half dozen of them off their feet with a couple ending up thrown completely overboard. Those who had not been hit recoiled in shock and fear at the casual show of such monstrous strength, though the so called 'Salamander' was seemingly keeping his cool. "So, what exactly was it you ladies wanted from me?"

Aquarius' smiled sharply as her prey began to walk right into her carefully laid trap. Several of the more intelligent and cowardly underlings took one look at her smiling face, looked back to the blonde who had scattered grown men like bowling pins, and then to the sea that they knew contained vicious sharks. One of the men chose to abandon ship right then and there, taking his chances swimming back to shore. No one noticed as he was knocked unconscious by a wave dashing him viciously against the side of the ship.

"I have a question that I want you to answer honestly."

"There was no need for you to go to all this trouble for something as simple as that. But, ask and I shall answer." The Mermaid nodded simply, waiting to snare the idiot in his own lies.

"Are you a member of the Wizard's Guild known as Fairy Tail?" The trap was ready, all it would take is a single word to spring it and all hell would break loose.

"Is that what this is about? You have some sort of a _grudge_ against the guild?"

"Nope." Lucy was still smiling as she answered for the women. "We _love~_ Fairy Tail! But if you don't answer the question soon Aqua-nee is going to get angry."

"I am the mage known far and wide as Salamander. If you do indeed love Fairy Tail as you say, then you will apologize for your actions against me as one of their mages and we can let bygones be bygones." The smiles they had been wearing instantly vanished from the two women's faces. If there was one thing Aquarius hated most about the Human World, it was the liars who did so both maliciously and without remorse. "Should you refuse I will have no choice but to retaliate to your actions in kind."

The blonde's vehement denial and rude gesture said clearly that an apology would most definitely not be given, as did the large hole she put in the deck with a single enthusiastic stomp of her foot that shifted the entire boat violently. "You, rude little _bitch_! Get them before they ruin everything!"

"I _hate_ liars you know, especially those who would lie to my face about something or someone I cared for." As Aquarius spoke, the men foolish enough to actually follow the command were cut down quickly by the twin blades that Lucy had summoned and now wielded; the spell seal representing Cancer on her left thigh activated and imbuing her with a measure of the spirits insane speed. "Though I have never stepped a foot within its walls, nor do I carry the crest that signifies loyalty, Fairy Tail is the guild where those whom I love belong! Scum like YOU tarnishing its name will not be tolerated!"

At last the Mermaid moved to attack, an enormous tidal wave surging up over the ship and washing it all the way back to shore. Those men washed overboard and caught in its tow were rendered unconscious and bloody wrecks near instantly as they were bashed against the ships tumbling form; though she had made sure they would all still live through the damage. Within moments of the wave hitting they were back on shore; the ship a totaled wreck and bodies of the injured and unconscious men including the false Salamander littering the sand.

Despite also having been caught in the massive attack Lucy was relatively unharmed; thanks both to the experience of being frequently washed away and also the unique magic granted to her by Aquarius allowing her to move and breathe freely within the water. Looking over all the damage caused by the Mermaid from her place at the edge of the destruction, Lucy felt despair as she realized half the port and several houses were now exceedingly beyond immediate repair. _'If anyone managed to pin this on us..._ '

The sound of clanking feet and yelling drew her attention from thoughts of financial restitution she couldn't afford and to the approaching authorities as they rushed to see what had happened. Thinking quickly, the blonde mage turned to the nearest bystander and in a wondering voice did her very best to sound like a gossiping tourist. "Did you hear? That guy calling himself Salamander of Fairy Tail was a fake this whole time! They say he was apparently using illegal magic to pick up women and get them to go back to his ship so he could do horrible things to them!"

The group of townspeople gasped at the 'news' and quickly began a discussion about the man they had seen around town being flocked by women everywhere he went. Moving on to another group a distance away she added in a new detail to the rumor mill. "Hey! Did you hear? They've been saying that some guy calling himself Salamander of Fairy Tail apparently vowed revenge against a couple of women who called him a perverted creep! They think he's the one responsible for the port since his ship left just before the wave came!"

The Army was closing in and she had time to spread one more 'fact' before they got close enough to detain her for 'questioning' as a mage at the site of large scale magical destruction. Leaving them to gossip about the news she ran to the next group of townspeople and quickly gave them her information. "Did you hear the news? They've been saying that the fake Salamander was using his magic to kidnap girls, but that apparently someone found out and he destroyed the port trying to stop them from telling the authorities! I hope the Army locks him away for all he's done!"

Moving on she could already hear her version of the truth spreading from person to person as they gossiped about the damage to their town and the mage who had caused it. Really, the only things Lucy cared about at the moment was that no one would mention her or Aquarius, and that she managed to escape the sight of the Royal Army. There was no way they wouldn't pin the giant wave on the Mermaid, and subsequently, on her as the Spirit's legal 'owner' the second they realized she was a mage and exactly which gate key was sat at her neck.

Dodging crowds and ducking down a few side streets as she went, Lucy headed towards the train station at the north end of town with the thought of grabbing a ride while the stingy Spirit was still hiding out in the Celestial World for things to calm down. It wasn't until she was at the counter and reaching into her pocket for the Jewel she needed to pay for the ticket that Lucy realized the biggest flaw in her otherwise perfectly wonderful plan.

"Aquarius still has all of my stuff!"

 **.**

 **(Fairy Tail AU: Chapter 01)**

 **.**

 **Kingdom of Fiore, East, City of Magnolia, Early Summer X784**

 **.**

Staggering from exhaustion as she walked; Lucy was finally entering the City of Magnolia a full three days after leaving the remains of Hargeon Port behind. Having been left to fend for herself in the aftermath, as was the common practice for them in situations of Accidental Destruction of Property -Extreme; Lucy had taken the opportunity to ask for directions to the City of Magnolia without the Mermaid nagging at her about how getting lost was half the fun of travelling. She had set out immediately; eager to be away from the scene and following the general direction of the train tracks with just her thoughts and the clothes on her back.

She had tried calling Aquarius to her side once the coast was clear so she could at least have her pack back, but the woman had smiled deviously before leaving her with only the words 'Endurance Training' ringing in her skull. Determined to succeed and a bit angry about being so suddenly abandoned she had set to it; only taking breaks to rest her sore muscles and make the contracts with her newest keys since she was unable to get any proper rest without the Mermaid there to help watch her back.

Now she was regretting her stubbornness, but only in so much as she didn't think it very polite to pass out from exhaustion in the middle of a busy street. The bright glow of an opening gate preceded the arrival of Aquarius in her fully human form, Lucy's pack held in her arms. "Good Morning~"

The blonde stopped dead in her tracks at the absolutely cheery tone and looked over to see an enormous smile and blush on the Spirit's face. She had only ever seen the Mermaid like this twice before and both times had involved Scorpio in a manner she wasn't comfortable remembering. Refusing to even entertain the thought she turned away and continued her exhausted movements towards the Guild Hall in the distance, a grunt her only acknowledgment that the Spirit had even said anything.

"You seem a bit tired, did three days of roughing it get to you?"

"Two words Aqua-nee, and they aren't endurance training."

"Tch. Brat, and here I was having a good morning. Here, I brought you some breakfast; it should give you enough of a boost in energy to last until tonight, as long as you don't go using your magic and wasting the effect." The Mermaid held what looked like a large steamed bun out to the blonde, practically shoving it into the girl's mouth in response to the question of who had cooked it. "It's a magical recipe; I had Virgo make it for me."

"Ish gud!" Lucy had practically inhaled the entire bun as soon as the amazing taste hit her tongue.

"Don't talk with your mouth full, but it should be good since Virgo is one of the best cooks in the Celestial Realm. If we ever get the chance to have you contract with her you will _never_ have to cook again." The Mermaid looked to be drooling slightly as she thought of the Maiden Spirit's cooking prowess.

"What if I decided I want to cook though?"

"Nope. Cooking for yourself when she is around is almost impossible as she will literally sabotage your efforts until you give up and let her do it for you." Turning to walk backwards while facing the blonde, Aquarius began laughing lightly at the thought of the quirky Spirit she was friends with. "The woman absolutely _loves_ cooking for someone, but since we spirits don't actually have to eat very often she really only ever gets to cook for her key-holders. Though... last I heard they had essentially forbade her from doing so."

"What!? That's so mean! Why would they ever deny someone something they love?" Aquarius smiled sadly at her brat, knowing that the girl couldn't even come close to fathoming the types of abuse some spirits were exposed to on a regular basis. The girl had grown to love humans and spirits both with all her heart and as a result; she was often overwhelmed emotionally by even a hint of the cruelty that lurked within the hearts of men.

"Lucy, one day you will come to learn that not all people are good at heart, and that some of them find true joy in the suffering of others. In the case of Virgo, it is most likely that as her 'master' they find joy in abusing the power they have over her simply because they _do_ have that power. Chances are they are one of the majority who happen to see Celestial Spirits as objects to be used as they see fit." Though they had touched on it very lightly over the years, this was the first time Aquarius had allowed herself to speak so frankly about the subject with her charge.

"That person should be ashamed to call themselves a Celestial Mage! Spirits are people too! You have feelings! You can feel pain! You can love and laugh and hurt the same as any human! Just because you can't die doesn't mean you aren't real!" Lucy had tears pouring down her cheeks as she practically shouted her words, eyes locked to the Mermaid's and her hands gripping tight to the Spirits arms as she shook the taller woman a little with each statement; as if desperately trying to make Aquarius believe in the words she spoke.

"Brat." She placed a soft hand on the girl's head in comfort and smiled genuinely as she ruffled the golden locks. "I don't need to hear those words from you, but thanks for saying them anyways."

"I love you Aqua-nee, don't you ever forget that!" The words were muffled as Lucy had buried her face into Aquarius' shoulder with a spontaneous hug, but the Mermaid heard them loud and clear.

"Same to you, kid."

 **.**

 **(Fairy Tail AU: Chapter 01)**

 **.**

*Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.* the rhythmic tapping of a perfectly manicured finger was nearly silent compared to the sound of various guild members enjoying their day, but those nearby heard it as clearly as if the sound was being embedded directly into their brains. A lightly twitching brow and small scowl accompanying the tapping had sent all but the drunkest of those nearby to vacate the immediate vicinity in a sense of self preservation.

Sat at the guild's bar as she was, Mirajane Strauss was the perfect picture of someone waiting in frustrated annoyance. The usual sounds of a brawl beginning somewhere across the hall had her unconsciously increasing the pace of her tapping; sending those who had remained nearby quickly scurrying away, all except for the one person who practically lived in the seat she occupied only two stools away.

"Mira, you've been agitated for the last month and a half; and in the last three days you've barely moved from that spot. What the hell is wrong with you?" Cana Alberona; local drunk and card mage was one of the only people who would risk asking Mira anything when she was so obviously upset. Everyone else feared the Demon's wrath; or in the case of certain S-Class ass-holes just plain didn't care about what was happening with anyone.

"I'm waiting." The tapping continued its steady pace.

"I can see that. Waiting for what?" The tapping stopped for a few beats as her eyebrow twitched a little more spastically, but quickly resumed at a slightly faster pace. Elfman, who had been playing bartender for that day, quickly ducked down behind the counter at the question and scrambled out of the possible line of fire. Despite how much she had mellowed out over the last few years his sister still scared the crap out of him whenever she was upset.

"For someone." A second finger joined in on the tapping.

"Oh~ did someone stand you up?" Cana ignored the third and fourth fingers joining in on the tapping. "Is it that secret boyfriend of yours? Did he-"

Mira never heard what Cana was trying to ask as another familiar voice took all of her attention and had her snapping her head to the guild's entrance with the first word, the sight there dissipating her aura of agitation and doom instantly. "So~ this is Fairy Tail? I like it."

By the end of the sentence the Take-Over mage was up like a shot and moving towards the entrance at high speed, the quick clack-clack-clack of her boots the only warning before she had lunged; tackling the familiar figure straight into the ground with the fierceness of her hug. "LUCY~ I MISSED YOU~"

The guild went silent at the sight, Mira's cry of joy having been loud enough to gather the attention of even those busy with their drunken brawl. As a whole they were all far more used to the girl who constantly fought with Erza and regularly bullied the pair of Macao and Wakaba up until only a couple of years ago. They had eventually grown used to the girl who was more interested in finishing fights than in starting them, and who freely offered others her down to earth words of advice and comfort with a wickedly cheerful smile. Despite seeing her smile regularly, very few could remember her doing so with the same happiness she had shown in that moment; leaving them wondering who it was that could bring her such pure joy.

"Well~ hello to you too, Little Demon. I know it's been a while since we last saw you, but if you don't let up a little she'll die before you can get to the good parts." The tall blue-haired woman who had entered and remained standing near the downed pair spoke with an amused lilt to her voice, poking the girls in the side with her foot as she did so before beginning to look a bit worried at whatever non-verbal response she had gotten. "Seriously Mira, she's starting to turn blue."

A loud gasp for air occurred almost instantly, letting those who had continued watching the sight know that the Take-Over mage had loosened her apparent death-grip at least a little. After a few seconds of harsh breathing the tackled girl spoke, her hand coming up to pat the silver-haired girl on the back gently as the intense hugging continued. "...missed you too, Mira."

"Alright you brats, you can continue this once we've settled in so get up before I make you get up." The woman had an annoyed look on her face as she scowled down at the two hugging girls, both of whom were instantly scrambling to stand before the strict blue-haired woman. The guild as a whole was finally able to take in the appearance of the blonde haired new-comer as they had her companion; a few also taking this time to wonder at Mira's automatic response to the tall woman's orders. Lucy and Aquarius however, took this moment to study their friend.

The Take-Over mage had changed her style since they had last met in person and now had a much softer look to her. Instead of a high ponytail with bangs, she now left her long silver hair to flow freely down her back while the bangs that normally covered her blue eyes were pulled up into a miniature pony tail, the holder decorated with a tiny laughing skull charm.

Her outfit consisted of a tight button up vest in black over top of a fitted knee length spaghetti strap dress in royal purple. The bottom edges of the dress flowed easily with her slightest movements with a single short slit showing off the white guild mark on her left thigh; a thin chain belt with a golden key charm hanging low against the right hip helped to accentuate her thin waist. Adorning her feet was a pair of black soft leather ankle boots with a kitten-heel, adding an inch to her somewhat lacking height, and matching with the banded bracelet upon her right wrist. A velvet choker in a matching color to her dress sitting at the base of her neck and sporting a golden star charm completed her look.

"HEY MIRA! DO YOU KNOW THESE GUYS?" The loud question split the air before anyone else could say a word courtesy of the guild's own Fire Dragon Slayer. Half of those present managed a simultaneous face-palm, while a few simply laughed at the show of idiocy.

"No~ Natsu~, I just decided to randomly tackle a complete and utter stranger whom I just so happen to know the name of while screaming about how much I've missed them." The scathing reply went completely over the boy's head and had the Mermaid Spirit smiling at the retort. She had taught the girl well. "Idiot, of course I know them! Who the hell would just randomly tackle someone they don't even know?"

The flying blue feline known as Happy pointed to the oblivious Dragon Slayer at the question, giggling loudly as he did so. Mira was not surprised to learn that particular fact about the boy. "Oh. So are they going to join the guild? Are they strong!?"

"Yes and Yes. Lucy and I trained together growing up and that one there is responsible for what happened at Hargeon." Mira pointed to Aquarius when she said 'that one' earning her a heated glare from the Spirit and a look that said 'Sweet Mavis, Please, not another one' from Master Makarov who had decided to come out from his office at the sound of Mira yelling.

"How'd you know that was us? I made sure to put the blame on that fake Salamander before skipping town." Natsu's ears had perked up at 'Hargeon' and Lucy's mention of a 'fake salamander' had him processing the information that seemed to be awfully familiar.

"Oh please. Like I wouldn't be able to put your questions about Salamander of Fairy Tail and that level of water damage together? I've known you two for _far_ too long to be deceived by that lame cover story they came up with." Natsu had finally remembered the incident they were talking about and putting all the pieces together came to his own logical conclusion.

"You guys are strong! FIGHT ME!" He lunged for the trio eager to test his strength against someone new, only to hit the ground unconscious from the swift and vicious overhand blow Mira had delivered in her anger.

"No. Bad Dragon. No Touchy My Lucy." Her fist still extended from where it made contact and her other arm wrapped protectively around the blonde she had pulled from out of the line of attack, Mira's scolding of the unconscious boy was both unnecessary and ridiculous in equal measures. The Master sighed at the actions of his children and decided that right now was a good time to intervene in events.

"Mira! Why don't you bring your friends up to my office so we can make them official members of the guild?" The guild members who had watched the entire scene with rapt attention cheered happily at the news and quickly went back to their normal frenzy of activity, many speculating about their newest members.

 **.**

 **20 minutes later...**

 **.**

After stamping their mark; dark blue on the left hip for Aquarius and Gold on the right hand for Lucy, Master Makarov exited his office with the three girls only to see that the more rambunctious members had started up another brawl; this one threatening to encompass the entire guild and on the verge of turning into a magical melee. Quickly he grew into his giant form and put a stop to the ruckus, having to literally stomp on Natsu in order to keep him from destroying the building in his 'victory' against those who had stopped fighting first. "QUIET DOWN YOU FOOLS!"

At the top of the stairs both Mira and Lucy started laughing quietly as they looked between the Giant Master yelling at the guild to behave, and their Mermaid mentor who was nodding along in obvious approval of the man's methods. Soon enough he was back to his normal diminutive size and standing on the second floor railing as he addressed those gathered below."Today we welcome two new members to our family! Lucy Heart and her Guardian Aquarius! Let's Celebrate!"

The small group of female mages moved down to the main floor of the guild and headed directly for the bar; mostly at the behest of Lucy who had started whining about how she was starving. "All I've had to eat since Hargeon is that magic bun you gave me Aqua-nee~"

"Magic bun?" Mira was confused having never heard of such a thing before.

"Yeah, Aqua-nee hid my bag in the Celestial World when she decided that I should do some 'endurance training' on the way here; so I haven't actually slept in four days but the magic bun she gave me to eat should keep me going for a few more hours, except it wasn't very big so I'm still hungry." The blonde turned to her friend with a whine and gave her the Pitiful Puppy eyed look that had never failed to elicit a blush or get her what she wanted from the other girl. "Please Mira~ feed me~"

Restraining herself from squealing and pouncing on the blonde's look as she would have normally, Mira took off for the bar's kitchen in order to feed her hungry friend. She completely ignored the knowing smirk the Mermaid Spirit was sending her as she did so. "Alright, I'll be right back. Why don't you two mingle a bit while you wait?"

"Okay~" Lucy was more than happy; and possibly a little loopy from sleep deprivation but who cared about that, since she would finally be able to get some real food. Turning from her seat at the bar the blonde took in all the different people drinking and having fun; spending several minutes watching the various groups in silence before a voice to her right called out for her attention.

"Hey there~ welcome to the Guild! I'm Cana; it's nice to meet you two." The brunette from a few stools down was obviously drunk, but seemed friendly enough so Lucy happily returned the greeting. Aquarius merely nodded her hello as she had noticed the gleam of mischief in the drunkard's eyes. "So~ you seem to be awfully close to Mira, how long have you guys known each other?"

"Huh? Um..." Lucy did some quick mental calculations and was a bit surprised by the answer. "Oh wow, it's been almost seven years already?"

"Seven Years? Are you the friends she told us she ended up training with when she ran away?" Cana had a shocked look on her face, obviously having heard something of that time from the Take-Over mage. The somewhat loud question also caught the interest of Elfman who was still playing bar tender, and he quickly made his way over to the small group.

"You're nee-chan's friends?" The hulking teen sized up the two women his sister had spoken to him about so often over the years; he almost felt as if he knew them already. "Nice to finally meet you, I'm Elfman!"

"Um, nice to meet you too Elfman, I'm Lucy and she's Aquarius. Mira has told us a lot about you!" The blonde gave her Guardian a look that said to 'behave' when she heard her repeating the words 'a lot' in a teasing tone. "And yes, we've been friends ever since I first found her."

"She does mean that literally by the way; Little Demon fell off a cliff while Brat was on her way back to camp and landed right on top of her, she ended up being carried back and this one practically adopted her from that point on." Aquarius was teasing the blonde as she spoke, ready to unleash with every embarrassing story she could remember about the two girls. "It was pretty adorable actually; right up until they both managed to insult my cooking skills."

Lucy casually leaned away from the Mermaid Spirit who had started glowering angrily at the memory, before turning back to Cana to continue the conversation. "So anyways, Aquarius trained the two of us since that time and whenever Mira was at the guild we would keep in touch via Communications Lacrima and Letters."

"So that means you must know who her boyfriend is, right!?" Both Elfman and Lucy had identical expressions of intense shock at Cana's mentioning of a boyfriend; their faces practically screaming the word questioningly. Taking amusement in both the question itself and the visual response given to it Aquarius began chuckling to herself quietly. "Yeah, she's obviously been seeing somebody since before she came back this last time, but no one has been able to get a name out of her. The only thing anyone knows is that he's apparently 'a taller, brown eyed blonde, with powerful magic' that she met while she was away from the guild and we only know all of that because of our last game of drunken truth or dare."

"What!? No way! If anyone wants to date my nee-san, he needs to be a better man than me!" Elfman's ridiculous response and the knowledge of exactly who Mira had apparently described sent Aquarius into full blown laughter; the rare sound drawing said silver-haired girl out of the kitchen long enough to see what was happening before returning to her cooking with a shrug as no one seemed to be in imminent danger of humiliation or death.

"Elfman, I'm pretty sure Mira would kick your butt if she heard you saying that about her love life. But come on Lucy, if Aquarius' reaction is _any_ indication you _have_ to know who he is!" Cana was practically falling off her stool with anticipation, ready to _finally_ have her question answered after months of curiosity.

"Eh? I don't know... taller, brown eyes, blonde, and powerful magic? I don't remember anyone like that..." Lucy was wracking her brain for the answer since the only person _she_ knew who fit those particular criteria was herself, but because Cana had specified _boy-_ friend that sort of ruled her out. Aquarius' laughter wasn't helping her either, though obviously she knew the answer and wasn't going to share until she was good and ready. "Nope. Sorry, I don't remember any guys like that from when we were training together, but she could have met him during one of the times she went on a solo mission, right?"

"What are you guys talking about?" Mira had finally returned from the kitchen with a glass of orange juice and a heaping plate of chicken sausage, scrambled eggs with cheese, and buttered toast in her hands. She quickly sat the food in front of her blonde friend with a gentle smile; one that Cana had never seen from the girl before but that Elfman remembered well from his early childhood. "Here you go Lucy, eat up!"

"Thanks Mira!" The Celestial Mage returned the smile with one of her own and quickly began inhaling her food, paying only mild attention to the continuing conversation around her.

"Nee-chan! Why didn't you tell me you had a boyfriend?"

"Boyfriend?" Mira looked to her younger brother, completely baffled by his question. The only person she'd ever been with in that type of way was Lucy, and despite their oftentimes intimate relationship they had never once defined themselves in any other way than as very close friends. As Aquarius had helped them to put it when she had found out that they were sexually attracted to the other; they 'loved but were currently not IN love' with each other. "I don't have a boyfriend. Who told you that?"

"Then what about the tall, brown eyed blonde you were gushing over last time we all got drunk for girl's night?" Cana pointed at the Take-Over mage in frustration, wanting to know who the hell the girl had been 'mooning' over for so long.

"Really, that's what this is about? Fine then; Lucy come here for a second." The blonde turned her head towards Mira at the command and managed to swallow the large piece of toast she was chewing just before lips were planted on her own. The kiss was a little bit rougher and shorter than their usual heated exchanges, but that didn't stop her from enjoying it anyways. As soon as it was over she was being pushed back towards her plate where she happily complied with the unspoken command to finish eating, completely oblivious to the reactions of everyone around her.

"Taller than me, blonde, brown eyes, NOT my boyfriend; are there any other ridiculous questions?" Mira smiled sweetly at the dumbstruck look on the faces of both her brother and friend, willfully ignoring the fact that Master Makarov, Macao, Wakaba, and several other men close by currently had nose bleeds.

"W-what the hell!? So she's your girlfriend? Since when!?" Cana was excited to gossip about this seemingly newest development, her drunken curiosity always hard to sate when there was something she wanted to know.

"We've been friends for seven years, or did you mean girlfriends as in 'in a committed romantic relationship', because we're not." The Take-Over mage watched as confusion spread across all the faces of those listening in, already more than willing to leave for the day as soon as Lucy had finished eating. "We're more, what's the term? I think it was 'friends with benefits', but I prefer to think of it as 'friends who are lovers but who are not IN love.' Now if you don't mind, we'll be leaving."

With that Mira grabbed a hold of Lucy by the back of her shirt with one hand and the strap of her discarded travel pack with the other, and started making her way for the door. The blonde was protesting the rough treatment as she was dragged away from her seat; food half eaten and still unaware as to what had been happening for the last little bit. "My toast~"

"Be a good puppy and I'll give you a treat when we get home." Mira smirked at the blonde as she spoke, a devilish gleam in her eyes clearly visible to all those watching. Aquarius' ringing laughter and the sound of several bodies hitting the floor from blood loss followed the two girls out the door at the blonde's enthusiastic answer.

"Woof~"

 **.**

 **(Fairy Tail AU: Chapter 01)**

 **.**

The sun had risen far enough to shine its bright rays into the eyes of a sleeping blonde haired mage; currently cuddled up to her best friend and more than unwilling to let the day take hold without either another few hours of sleep or an entire pot of coffee. Thankfully, or unfortunately depending on how you saw things, her silver-haired bed partner kept an automatic coffee maker in her room for that very reason; its siren song already luring the two from their sleep as it went to work for the morning.

A few minutes later and the delicious scent had Mira cracking an eye as her brain processed that it was indeed morning, and that she needed to wake up for her turn as the guild's bar tender; the same as she had every other weekend for the last year. She was stopped from her usual 'undignified roll out of bed' maneuver by an arm tightening its hold around her waist and suddenly yesterday's events came back to her. ' _Lucy's finally here~ yay!'_

Excited now, the Take-Over mage was fully awake but unwilling to move from her comfortable position as the little spoon until she absolutely had to. She had missed being able to cuddle with her friend at night, and even more than that, had missed the feeling of belonging that always accompanied her time with the other girl from the first day they had met. While she knew she belonged to the Fairy Tail family, it was a different feeling from when she was with Lucy and she couldn't quite yet put into words why.

Finally that dreaded time came where if she didn't get out of bed _that_ instant she'd end up being late for work. Rolling over in the other girl's tightening grip she set out to free herself of the blonde octopus. "Lucy~ you have to let me go. I've got to tend the guild bar today, remember? I told you last night before you crashed."

"Nuoooooh~" The Celestial mage cuddled into her captive harder, awake enough to understand the words but far too tired to want to leave her comfortable spot. "Comfy~"

"If you let me go I'll be able to make you breakfast with coffee. Well, coffee anyways, you'll have to come to the guild if you want a real breakfast." The blonde's grip tightened a fraction more before slowly releasing enough that Mira could easily escape it if she put some effort into it. "If you're really that tired you can always stay here and sleep until you're ready to come to the guild. Or... you can get up and have some coffee now and I'll make you your favorite breakfast when we get to the guild."

The arm tightened again as the blonde thought deeply about her choices before finally releasing completely and allowing the silver haired girl to go free. Despite what both Mira and Aquarius would say, Lucy was _not_ easily bribed by food; she just _really_ liked to eat anything that wasn't made by either herself or the Mermaid, and _especially_ anything that was cooked by Mira. Peaking open a brown eye, Lucy lifted her head just enough to show that she was now 'awake'. "...coffee?"

"It'll be ready by the time you get out of bed sleepy head." Unable to help herself, Mira leaned over and gave the blonde a quick kiss on the cheek before rolling herself out of bed to go and prepare coffee for the two of them. A few minutes later a pair of arms curling around her waist and a head leaning on her back told her the blonde had finally managed to drag herself across the room to where she stood sipping on her own cup of coffee. "Morning~ here you go."

A blind hand reached out and Mira carefully placed a mug within its grasp, laughing at the tickling sensations of Lucy trying to drink coffee while still firmly snuggled up against her back. "If you spill that on me I'll have to punish you~"

"...Sorry." The blonde retreated a bit from her place but kept holding the other girl regardless, as she had missed her friend and wanted to snuggle for as long as possible before they were forced into the outside world for the day. The two continued to drink their cups in silence, just enjoying being together for the first time in a while until Mira glanced over at the clock and gasped.

"Crap! I need to get dressed or I'll be late! Move it Lucy or you won't get breakfast!" The blonde's eyes widened and she rushed frantically to get ready as well, nearly stumbling out the door as they both took off running for the guild; one afraid of being late and the other of missing out on her favorite breakfast.

 **.**

 **Later...**

 **.**

They had made it to the guild just in time; Mira heading straight for the bar the second she was through the doors and Lucy following after her at a much more leisurely pace. Aquarius materialized next to the blonde in her human form as they took seats at the bar, startling the few early bird members who had witnessed the scene. "Morning Brat, Demon, did you two get enough sleep?"

Lucy's head thunked onto the bar top tiredly, causing Aquarius to smirk until a large mug of coffee was placed before each of them. "Lucy passed out a few minutes after we got home but she's still tired. I figure a good breakfast and a pot of coffee should have her up soon enough though."

Aquarius nodded in agreement, having witnessed these types of crashes from the blonde before. "She'll be fine once the caffeine kicks in, she's like her mother that way; can't wake up properly until they've had their 'morning juice'."

"...coffee..." Once again blind hands were reaching out and this time it was Aquarius who made sure the mug ended up where it belonged, far too used to 'zombie' Lucy and her habits. "...thank you..."

"So, why are you behind the bar today? I thought you and Lucy were going to form an official team and go on missions together?" Sipping at her own coffee, a treat she rarely indulged in, Aquarius asked the questions she was wondering about the most.

"We don't have an official bartender any more so some of us take turns to keep things running smoothly while we look for a new one who can handle it. Elfman, Max, Nab, Macao, Wakaba, and I are the current volunteers. My shifts have been every other weekend for the last year and the pay is good enough that I only have to take one or two missions a month to pay my rent, though I try to do a few each week and an S-Class mission once a month or so." As she spoke Mira was quickly racing around getting the bar set up, already serving coffee, tea, and toast to those who bothered to show up this early in the day.

"...Do you want some help?" Still groggy but much more alert with two cups of coffee in her, Lucy was willing to help her partner out with getting things ready. A swift nod had the blonde hopping over the counter and following verbal directions to set up, while Mira began prepping things in the kitchen; a place that neither Spirit nor Summoner were allowed to step foot in while she was in charge of it.

Soon enough they were done with setting things up and Mira had cooked the blonde an extra-large Rice-Omelet with a Strawberry Milkshake for her promised breakfast; the Mermaid was content with her second cup of coffee-this time with a splash of Bailey's for flavor. The three ate, and talked, and people watched until it was just after 10am and Master Makarov came up to them at the bar.

"Good Morning Mira! I have a job I would like you to do for me."

"A job? What is it?" This was unusual for the Master to assign people specific jobs, and Mira wondered what could have her be the one he would come to.

"I've just spoke with a client about a previous job posting; he has increased the reward to ten-times its original amount. The job is to retrieve a book in Shirotsume town, but with the sudden price increase I'm worried that there is more to it all than we've been told. I want you to go and investigate this matter as an S-Class mage, and if you deem it feasible complete the mission as well." Makarov looked at one of his most powerful children as he assigned her a potentially dangerous task, proud at how she had blossomed over the years- due mostly in part he knew to the other two women currently standing at her side.

"Master, can I make this a team mission?" He chuckled at the hopeful look on her face, reminding him of a small child with the innocence he saw there. A simple nod was all it took to have her grinning widely in joy, practically shouting as she set off with her newly named team leaving him chuckling at her enthusiasm. "Alright! Team Demon Nights is Go!"

"That's a stupid name; it makes us sound like we should all be wearing armor or something."

"Fuck Off Fish! It took me months to come up with that name, it's perfect for us!" He sweat dropped a bit as he heard the Guardian Spirit and Mira start arguing over the team name, watching as they somehow managed to walk out the doors and not trip while butting heads.

"I can think of at LEAST three better ones off the top of my head, Bitch!" They finally exited the guild leaving behind stunned silence until the moment Makarov spoke, a hint of amusement coloring his voice.

"Well, I always did wonder where Mira had picked up that attitude."

 **.**

 **(Fairy Tail AU: Chapter 01)**

 **.**

 **Shirotsume Town**

 **.**

After an exhausting Carriage ride; in which Mira and Aquarius had argued over the team name non-stop before finally agreeing with Lucy's suggestion for the temporary name 'Celestial Demons', they finally arrived at Shirotsume town. Now that they were here it was time to go over the plan of investigation and decide how they wanted to go about things.

"It says here that the client, Kaby Melon, is asking us to retrieve a specific book from the possession of the Duke Everlue. He's planning to tell us more upon arrival, but the poster mentions the Duke Everlue to be a notorious womanizing pervert who is currently hiring blonde haired maids." Lucy shivered as she looked up to both her friend and guardian, each with a wicked gleam in their eyes at the news. "Oh~ come on! Why do _I_ have to be the maid?"

"Blonde." Aquarius simply stated the obvious.

"FuFuFuFuFu." Mira's perverted laughing on the other hand said that she was _far_ more interested in seeing Lucy in a maid costume for her own purposes, rather than just those of the mission.

"Ignoring that one; if you wait a few minutes I'll borrow a uniform from Virgo for you Lucy. So why don't the two of you go and grab lunch while I'm off doing that, and I'll see you in a bit?" Aquarius was almost back in the Celestial Realm when Mira's words reached her ears.

"Don't forget something to cover her hand!" Seeing the Mermaid nod, both girls walked off arm in arm to search for the nearest restaurant. "Let's get something yummy!"

 **.**

 **Open Terrace Restaurant**

 **.**

They were just finishing up their meal when Aquarius popped back into the Human Realm, carrying a pile of black and white cloth. "Here you go Lucy. It might not fit 100% since she wasn't there, but it should be close enough to your size to not matter. I also got this set of white gloves to match and cover your guild mark."

"Alright, I'll go and get changed then." Lucy grabbed the clothing and stood up to leave, heading to the restaurant's bathroom for some privacy. Mira went to stand up as well, a little grin on her face as she started after the blonde until she was stopped short by a firm hand on her shoulder.

"And where do you think _you're_ going?" Aquarius was giving her a look that seemed to say 'please stop being a pervert for 5 seconds and concentrate.'

"...to help?" The grip on her shoulder tightened and Mira gave it up as a lost cause with a sigh. It wasn't her fault she thought of sex almost constantly; she was just at that age where nearly everything flipped her switch for some reason. Besides, Lucy was hot and they hadn't been together like _that_ in over a year! "...Sorry, I'll behave. Promise."

Seeing the teenager get control of her hormones, Aquarius relaxed her grip and waited for Lucy to return. She didn't mind that Mira was considered to be a bit of a pervert by human standards, she just wished the Demon would finally grow out of this stage of puberty as she had no wish to deal with the fallout of any more spontaneous 'moments' between the two. "Good. I don't want a repeat of last time I left the two of you alone in a changing room."

"Tch. I didn't like that place anyways, the entire store was bright pink and smelled like a mix of over-ripe fruit and candy." Mira crossed her arms petulantly as she spoke, shuddering at the remembered scent of all those different perfumes mixing in such small quarters. "It was so damn strong I could actually taste it... _yuck_."

"Well you obviously liked the merchandise; enough for you to end up getting banned for life because you, and I quote 'would rather be tasting the delicious looking eye candy'. I've _still_ never seen anyone get as red as that manager did when she finally caught on to what you were actually doing in there." The Mermaid smirked, chuckling as she spotted the rising blush on the teens face from her embarrassment over the remembered event.

"In my defense; Lucy looked absolutely amazing in that black lace _and_ I got rid of the nasty perfume taste in my mouth. It was win-win!" Except for when they had been caught during the best part and thrown out dressed as is; the other girl had been angry with her for an entire month after the fact.

Speaking of the blonde... "I'm back~ how do I look?"

"Like a maid." Once again Aquarius stated the obvious as she took in the sight of her charge; dressed in a standard maids uniform with a short skirt, thigh high stockings, short puffy sleeves, and her hair high pig-tails.

"Nnnnnn~" Mira obviously appreciated the new look as she was visibly holding herself back from either a slew of inappropriate comments or actions. Probably a mix of both from how much strain it was taking her to simply look away. Sometimes Mira thought it sucked just how _easily_ the other girl was able to affect her. "...You look great! Just do me a favor and _please_ don't tease me until after the mission is done!"

Lucy grinned wickedly before striking a demure but sexy pose. "Are you sure... Mistress?"

The blue-eyed girl eyed the 'maid' hungrily before catching herself and turning back towards the exit, practically sprinting away from the blonde temptress in an effort to keep what was left of her cool. "Damn it Lucy! That's not fair~"

Both Spirit and 'Maid' ended up laughing so hard there were tears in their eyes.

 **.**

 **Mansion at the edge of town**

 **.**

"It's a magnificent mansion."

"Considering he's willing to pay 2M Jewel for a book it would be extremely suspect for him to live in anything less." Knocking on the door as she spoke, Mira was quick to answer the client's question of who they were. "We're here about the request you posted, we're from Fairy-"

"SHH! Be quiet, please!" All three of the fairy tail females went on high alert at the client's suspicious behavior. "Excuse me ...but can you enter from the back door please?"

"Alright, we'll be there in a few moments." Mira motioned them all away from the door, speaking again only when they could not possibly be over heard by anyone inside. "While it could be as simple as not wanting Everlue to catch wind that we were hired, the client's actions are screaming that something isn't right with this job. We need to be on high alert, Lucy I want you and Aquarius to pay careful attention to our surroundings while we are inside. I'll do most of the talking for now and try to get at the info we need for Master, but if you think of something important go ahead and bring it up."

"Actually, I've had this thought since hearing the client's name on the flyer, but both the name Melon and Shirotsume sound familiar; like I've read about them somewhere and just can't remember." Lucy decided now was the best time to bring up the matter, since most of the books she had read were one's that the others had read too.

"Hmm~ now that you bring it up, it does sound familiar. Maybe you should have Old Man Crux research it?" Mira was quick to suggest the research Spirit to help them remember, fond of the Old Cross whose key had been the reward of their first job together.

"You may as well Brat, if nothing else he can at least tell you what the two have in common."

"Alright! I open thee, Gate of the Southern Cross! Crux!" The familiar bright seal and bell of a gate opening revealed the old cross constellation; sleeping like usual. "Grandpa-Crux! Wake up!"

"Hueeeeh!? Oh, Lucy it's been a while. Hello Mira, Aquarius, how are you two today?" Having woken up, the Cross Spirit was ready to offer his help.

"We're fine Crux, but we're on a job and something seems a bit off. Can you research the connection between a family named Melon and Shirotsume Town?" Aquarius was quick to give the cross all the needed information. "Lucy and Mira swear the two are familiar, but they can't remember from where."

"Hmm, I can do so but it may take me a little bit of time."

"Can you research in the Spirit world and then let me know once you've found something?" Lucy didn't want the Older Spirit to have to remain in the Human World for too long, he was far less tolerant to the pain than all the others she had contracts with.

"I can. I will share the information telepathically once I have discovered the connection, but please understand I shall not do so if you are in a fight. Take care Ladies." With that the Cross faded back into the Spirit Realm, and the girls were on the move once more-jogging lightly to make up for the lost time in order to appear less suspicious themselves for taking so long.

Soon enough they were in sight of the back door and being let into the large mansion by the client; a tall man with graying black hair and a toothbrush mustache, and a lovely older woman with long black hair whom they assumed to be his wife. Mira's nose twitched repeatedly as they entered the building before finally stopping once they had been led into a large sitting room; where the client formally introduced himself and his wife who had brought them tea.

"I'm terribly sorry about earlier... I'm the client, Kaby Melon. This is my wife, Deirdre." He took a seat across from them, his wife choosing to remain standing nearby. "I wouldn't have imagined mages from the renowned Fairy Tail would accept this job... and you're young, too. You must be famous mages."

"This one is nicknamed Demon Mirajane, though the 'maid' and I have only just recently joined the guild." Aquarius ignored the double glare she was getting and continued to catalogue everything that was said and done by the client and his wife.

"OOH! I've heard of that nickname. I'm surprised such a famous mage would take on such a simple job."

"I thought it would be good as a first mission for our new members; you know something to get them used to how guild missions work." Mira smiled sweetly at the man, knowing that the comment and smile would irritate the Mermaid seated on her left. He smiled back, far less happily but genuine none the less.

"Well I'm glad you've come either way, please, let's talk about the work." Kaby leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, hands tangled and smile fading he began to speak of their task. "There is only one thing that I am asking you to do: the one and only copy of 'Day Break' that the Duke Everlue owns... please destroy it."

"Surprising... normally this sort of job is for the retrieval of stolen property, but in this instance you want us to destroy property that already belongs to someone else. No wonder the price is so high." All three were surprised that they were essentially being asked to vandalize someone's home; Mira slightly more so as most legal guilds refrained from accepting these sorts of jobs in the first place. There _had_ to be more to this. "Mr. Melon, before I can accept this mission on behalf of the Fairy Tail Guild, you need to tell us why it is you want that book destroyed."

"...I can't forgive that book's existence. Thirty-one years ago my father died because of it having been written. Please, destroy it. I beg you." Kaby bowed his head to the women, begging them to rid him of that part of his past. The look on his face was one of complete sincerity.

"Alright... We'll destroy the book for you, but I want a more complete explanation once we've finished the job." Mira stood tall as she spoke before ushering the other two mages from the mansion the same way they had entered; nose twitching wildly once more until they had finally exited. "Shit! Whatever perfume that is reeks!"

"Is that why you were spazzing the whole time we were walking inside?" Aquarius was both teasing and serious as she asked the question; knowing that Mira's Demon Enhanced Senses tended to make her far more sensitive to things like smells and sound than the average person, but that she was not quite at the super human levels of mages such as Dragon Slayers. "I mean, I could kind of smell it but not well enough to really notice until you brought it up."

"Yeah, I don't know what it was but it reminded me of the one perfume shop you tried to drag me to right after I learned Satan Soul. It wasn't necessarily that it was a bad smell, but it was _way_ too strong for me whatever it was." The Take-Over mage continued wrinkling her nose, trying to remove the lingering scent that made her _want_ to sneeze but not quite strong enough to actually make her do so.

Finally fed up with the annoying feeling, she grabbed onto the quietly giggling blonde 'maid' and stuck her face into the juncture between her neck and shoulder; breathing in the scent of strawberries and the night sky while accidentally on purpose making the blond laugh harder at the tickling sensation as they continued making their way back into town. "Mmm~Much better!"

Neither of the teens noticed Aquarius trailing behind them with a look on her face that said what she was _really_ thinking about the scene. _'Such adorably cute dorks.'_

 **.**

 **Mansion of Duke Everlue Exterior**

 **.**

"Excuse me! I came to apply for the blonde-haired maid position~" Lucy was standing before the gates of the Duke's mansion, hoping to be let inside so that she could find and destroy the book without too much hassle. Both Aquarius and Mira were currently hiding in the trees nearby as backup in case their Plan A was a failure. "Excuse me! Is there anyone here?"

The ground nearby began to rumble and bulge, a sizeable figure flying from out of a large newly formed hole and landing directly before the surprised blonde; a pink haired maid who was approximately the size of 5 of Lucy put together, her enormous figure and scowling features giving her a menacing demeanor as she spoke. "Maid applicant?"

All three Fairy Tail females were surprised by the maid's sudden appearance, more so when after only a few seconds she turned and yelled down into the hole she had created. "There's a girl who came for the maid position, My Master!"

Another figure burst from beneath the ground; rotund and short, with a moustache made from his nose hairs it was the Duke Everlue himself. "Boyoyoyooon. Did you call me?"

Lucy shuddered at the piercing gaze of the Duke as he looked her over; his checking of her 'assets' in such an open fashion was both unappealing and degrading. "Let me see. Hmm, rejected! Go home, Ugly."

"Ug-..."

The blonde couldn't help but feel upset at both the words and rude tone he used; despite not actually caring about the man's opinion on her looks, his attitude about it in general was getting to her. She was stopped from any sort of response by the large maid suddenly picking her up from off the ground by the back of her dress. "That's it. Go home, Ugly."

"For someone as great as I am, only the most beautiful girls would suit me. Boyoyoyo..." Four more maids popped out of the ground a short distance away, each with a very _unique_ look to them in terms of the traditional human standards; and with his apparently particular sense of beauty it was understandable why the man might consider Lucy to be ugly. He still didn't have to say it like _that_ though.

"My My, Master~!"

"You're flattering us."

"Ufuuun."

"Go home Ugly! Shoo!"

From their place watching nearby; both Aquarius and Mira felt for the blonde as she was repeatedly called ugly and then literally sent flying by the large maid as she was physically thrown from the front gate. They waited several minutes after the man and his maids had retreated back inside the mansion to make their way over to the silently upset blonde. The girl was pouting lightly as she sat against a tree and Mira was quick to curl up next to her and offer comfort. "Hey~ cheer up Lucy, _I_ think you're beautiful!"

"Thanks, but I'm not upset about the fact that he thinks I'm ugly, everyone has their own sense of beauty after all." The blonde leaned her head against the other girls shoulder, still pouting but wanting to clarify _why_ she was upset with the turn of events. "In fact, I think it's actually rather sweet how he goes out of his way to tell them how he feels about them like that; I just wish they had been a bit nicer about it and left it as me just not being his type."

"So, it's not so much that you aren't what he considers beautiful, but more that he was extremely rude and tried to intentionally hurt your feelings with both words and actions?" As the blonde nodded in reply to Mira's question, Aquarius felt a sense of pride in the girl; aware that she was considered to be traditionally beautiful but not overly vain about it like other girls her age were often prone to being. "I see. Well the fact that he hurt your feelings intentionally is more than enough reason for us to move on to Plan F, but since we're still on a mission we'll have to settle for Plan S."

"Which plans are _those_?" Aquarius couldn't help but to ask, even though she _knew_ the answer would probably be something stupid. "And what happened to plans B through R?"

"Well _my_ usual favorite happens to be Plan F- Fly in and Fuck them up." Lucy began giggling at the girl's enthusiastic answer while the Mermaid simply sighed. "And boring old Plan S is for Sneaking in. As for the others; we'll probably end up using Plan B later since Fairy Tail as a whole is famous for it you know!"

Both Aquarius and Lucy were quick to realize that Plan B most likely stood for 'Break Absolutely Everything'. ' _I don't know what I was expecting.'_

 **.**

 **Approx. 20 minutes later...**

 **.**

They had spent several minutes debating the best way to sneak in to the mansion before finally agreeing that entering through one of the windows on the top floor would be easiest; with Aquarius passing through the Celestial Realm to reach Lucy's side after Mira had flown them both to the balcony they had scouted. Once they were all assembled it was time for them to get moving. "Hey, the window's locked."

"I got it." Lucy was quick to appear at Mira's side before the girl could do something rash; placing her hand over the locking mechanism and concentrating on her magic. After a minute or so, a clicking noise let them know that the window was now unlocked. "There!"

The Take-Over mage was impressed at the ability. "How did you do that?"

"It's a little known trick Celestial Mages can learn, according to Grandpa Crux since our magic is designed to unlock and open the gates between worlds we can also use it to open literal doors in this world. I learned it during this last year when-" Aquarius interrupted the blonde's excited ramblings with a loud 'Tch', leaving the young mage blushing in embarrassment. "I'll tell you the full story later."

"Move it you two. We still need to find this book before we can destroy it and then we have to get out." The Mermaid Spirit motioned the girls into the building, carefully climbing through the now open window after them and into what looked like a storage room. "Brat, call Pyxis and have him lead us."

"Okay~ I open thee, Gate of the Compass. Pyxis." The usual golden seal and ringing bell heralded the arrival of the new spirit; an oddly shaped bird reaching to the girl's waists with red feathers, a white belly, and blue wing tips. A large compass sat upon the top of his head lazily spinning every which way.

"Pikyu!"

"This is Pyxis? Hello~, I'm Mira!" The compass waved cheerfully at the Silver-haired mage, before focusing back on Lucy.

"Hi Pyxis, we need your help locating a specific book in this mansion. Can you do it?" The compass spirit looked to be thinking for a second before it perked up with a happy nod. "Awesome! The book is titled 'Daybreak', it will probably be in a library of some type if you need to look for something a bit less specific to start us off."

The compass needle began spinning rapidly before coming to a stop, both it and the spirit pointing out the doors and into the mansion in general. "Alright! Lead the way, but try and be quiet since we don't want to be caught, okay?"

The spirit nodded in reply before waddling off, the three Fairy Tail females following dutifully and with full confidence that he knew where to go. Carefully and quietly they began to wander the halls, heading downwards through the upper levels of the mansions main foyer. They had made it down to the second level when the floor began to bulge several feet ahead of them; all five of the Duke's maid popping out of the ground armed and ready to fight.

"INTRUDERS DETECTED!" The large pink-haired maid from before was leading the charge, her eyes flashing with killer intent. "Eliminate the targets."

Unfortunately for the maids, they were simply no match for the combined efforts of the three person team and were all quickly knocked unconscious from a single combined attack. Aquarius had grabbed the two closest to her and then proceeded to smack their heads together, Lucy had dropped the two near her by hitting them with the flat of Cancer's blades, and Mira had launched the large maid over the railing and down to the first floor with a kick to the solar plexus. Pyxis simply watched in awe as the three won the skirmish in seconds.

"Well, they found us. We should probably get a move on before someone finds them." Lucy returned her shears to the Celestial Realm before turning to the Compass Spirit. "Right Pyxis?"

"Pikoo!" The bird-shaped spirit agreed and began leading the way to a nearby door, stopping and pointing at it as if to say 'here we are!' "Pikyu!"

"Here, huh? Thank you Pyxis!" Mira was the first to open the door and pass into the small library beyond. Shelves lined the walls filled with hundreds, maybe even thousands of books. "Uh, do you think you can give us a general place to start from before you go?"

The spirit was quick to agree with the Take-Over mage; knowing that he would be helping Lucy out too. Also he kind of liked the silver-haired girl; who had spoken to him as an equal unlike most of the human mages he had met. He quickly divined the correct shelf and pointed them over to the left wall, waving goodbye as he returned to the Celestial Realm after they had thanked him for his time. "Pii-Piku."

"Aww~ Pyxis was so cute! And he has such a useful ability! Do you think he'd let me hug him next time we meet?" Though she was scanning the book titles diligently, Mira's mind was elsewhere as she thought about the newest spirit she had met and how quiet her Mentor had been since running into the maids.

"Maybe~ you'll have to ask the next time we get lost or need to find something." Lucy was also scanning the shelves, not yet having found what they were looking for. "Have you found it yet?"

"Not yet, and what do you mean about being lost or having to find something? Is that part of his contract?" The take-over mage finished the shelf she was working on and moved to the next one; Lucy and Aquarius doing the same only a few seconds later.

"Yeah, I can call on him anytime as long as I need to find something, or if I'm lost. Basically if I need a compass, I can call on him until I don't need one anymore. I figure with how easily Aquarius gets us lost we'll see him all the time." The blonde laughed a little at her own joke, Mira smiling as well since she knew it was really very true. "Any luck over there Aqua-nee?"

"...found it." Though she had found the book they were searching for, the Mermaid was too busy being angry to be very functional beyond beating things and terse comments. Carelessly she tossed the book towards the girls, Lucy only barely able to catch it before having it slam into her face. "Here."

"Are- are you okay?" The book was on hold for a moment as figuring out what was wrong with the Mermaid took precedence. "You've, uh... been kind of quiet since we ran into those maids."

"I'll be fine, just destroy the damn book so we can leave already." Obviously she was not fine if she was snapping at them out of _true_ anger like that, but neither teen called her on it having enough common sense to know now was a _bad_ time. "Sigh~ I'll tell you brats later, but let's hurry."

"Okay." Lucy looked down at the golden colored book she was to destroy, and gasped as the name of the author caught her attention. Within seconds she had on the Gale Force Glasses she carried with her everywhere and was reading through the book as fast as possible. Mira and Aquarius sighed in tandem at the maneuver, having recognized that Lucy thought something worth investigating. Less than five minutes passed before she was snapping the book shut with finality. "We can't destroy this book!"

"I see, I see. Boyoyoyoyoyo..." Once again the ground cracked and bulged, releasing the Duke himself from its confines. "So that's what you were after, you were sent to destroy that _worthless_ book."

"If you think it's so worthless then we can just have it, right?"

The Duke scoffed at Mira's question, holding a hand out demandingly for the books return. "No. Regardless of how worthless it is, the book still belongs to me."

"Stingy."

"Shut up, Ugly."

"Don't call Lucy Ugly you stupid potato! We're taking this book, whether you like it or not!" The take-over mage was raring to go, having wanted to punch the man in his face since earlier.

"BULL SHIT! I don't like this! How _dare_ you! Touching a book that belongs to the Duke of Everlue!?" The short man was bright red in his face, not taking too kindly to being called a potato or to their insistence to take his property. "Come, VANISH BROTHERS!"

A nearby bookshelf began to split apart and move; a hidden door opening to reveal two new figures. A pair of tall men, the shortest of who was equal in height to Aquarius and the tallest a full four heads bigger. Both were lean and well muscled, built like martial artists instead of body builders. Both sported a cloth with a guild symbol of a stylized wolves head over top of the letter S.

"It's finally time for business." The shorter of the two men had his hair in a long braided pony tail and wore a giant frying pan upon his back. "Good morning."

"If we get paid without doing actual work, Mama will get mad at us." The taller of the two men wore his hair in large spikes held back by a bandana, he was unarmed. "These girls are the mages from Fairy Tail?"

"BOYOYOYOYO! The Southern Wolves are always hungry! Prepare to die!" Now with his hired mercenaries on the scene, the Duke was ready to take action. "Vanish Brothers! Retrieve the book at once, and KILL THEM!"

"So~ the Duke decided to hire some extra muscle? FuFuFuFuFu." All three men took a step back in surprise as the shortest of the women took a step forward, her eyes shadowed and an aura of menace beginning to seep into the air surrounding her. "I'm kind of excited~"

"Oh~ It seems like the Fairy Tail mage thinks she's strong enough to take us on by herself... but a mage is a mage." The shorter of the Vanish Brothers readied his frying pan for action, unwilling to back down from the coming fight.

"You are no match for the professional fighter, mercenary soldiers. After all, a mage's weak point is the body. Compared to us who train our body night and day you will be no match in either 'speed' or 'power'." The taller of the Brothers had set himself into a fighting stance as well; ready to act at a moment's notice. He ignored the glares he was getting from every mage in the room at his words, even the Duke being offended by his claims though the man said nothing.

"It looks like I get to use Plan F after all~" The menacing aura grew as she spoke and enjoying the looks of surprise as she changed her form into that of Satan Soul Mira the take-over mage smiled menacingly. "It's my favorite~, you know?"

In a blur of speed the Demon vanished, her fist embedding itself into the taller brother's face with a sickening crack and sending him flying into and through the nearest wall in the time it takes to blink. A giant frying pan attempted to brain her in retaliation, but the mage was quick to dodge and counter attack. A strong kick denting the pan's metal forced the shorter brother out of the room and back into the main foyer, Mira quick to follow with her wings outstretched.

Duke Everlue stood motionless as he stared out the hole in his wall, the events so quick he had barely been able to follow them. As the sounds of fighting grew louder he snapped from his stupor and rounded on the remaining duo angrily. Taking a stance the two were intimately familiar with the man sealed his fate, the familiar golden seal and ringing bell erupting forth at his words angering his opponents. "I'll kill you for this humiliation! I open thee, Gate of the Maiden! Virgo!"

"How may I help you, My Master?" The large pink-haired maid from before appeared, ready to follow her master's wishes whatever they may be. Aquarius' fists clenched in anger at the sight, knowing that her friend wasn't even allowed to be her true self because of the small man drove her to thoughts of actual murder- something she had to avoid at this point both for her own sake and that of Virgo.

"Virgo! Retrieve that book at once!" The maid moved to do as ordered but was stopped in her tracks by an attack from Aquarius; who quickly reverted to her tailed form in order to more closely match the size and strength of the other spirit. This move surprised Everlue who had not known that the woman was actually a spirit.

"Not only are you a vile human being; forcing a man into solitary confinement for three years after threatening his family _just_ so he could write a book for you, but now I find out you use Celestial Spirit Magic?" The Blonde mage was shaking with rage at the sight of the Duke; having easily discovered the secret behind 'Daybreak' and learning of his illegal deeds, as well as realizing that this man was the one Aquarius had spoken of only two days ago. "You fucking _sicken_ me! How a man like you could even _think_ to use such wonderful magic the way you do... I won't forgive you!"

"Bull Rush! Crab Dance!" The enraged girl called forth her contracted magic, the dual golden seals of Cancer and Taurus spreading across her skin in tandem. A third seal appeared above her hands as she summoned forth her set of shears from Cancer; dropping the book and charging forward as they materialized fully. "Golden Shears!"

It was over in seconds, Cancer's speed and Taurus strength giving Lucy an edge that the man was unable to match leaving him badly bruised, bald, and unconscious where he was now embedded within the floor. Virgo, after seeing her master defeated quickly returned to the Celestial Realm; disappearing at the same moment Mira came skipping back into the room. "So~ what did I miss?"

 **.**

 **Mansion at the edge of town**

 **.**

On their way back to the mansion, Lucy had explained her reasoning for returning the book to their client intact. "At first I just wanted to read the only copy of an unpublished work from my favorite author, but then as I read further into it I realized that a secret lay hidden within its pages. Part of it is how the Duke forced Kemu Zaleon, the author, to write the book for him over the course of three years in solitary confinement or risk having his family's citizenship revoked."

"That alone is enough to have him arrested and tried. No wonder you said we shouldn't destroy it." Mira had been impressed with the blonde's quick thinking, and knew that even if the client still wanted to destroy the book they would be making copies of the important bits for evidence before hand. They would make sure that the Duke ended up paying for his illegal deeds.

After a half an hour of walking they now stood before Kaby, book in hand and mission almost finished. The man was surprised to see that they had not yet destroyed it. "If I remember correctly, I had asked you to destroy that book. Why have you not yet done so?"

"It's a simple enough matter to do so yourself if you still wish to, however I cannot in good conscience allow you to do so quite yet." Lucy handed the book to the older man, waiting until he had a good grip on it before continuing. "I know you wish to protect your father's pride, knowing how bad the last book he ever wrote was you couldn't stand to know it existed."

"H-how did you know...?"

"Zekua Melon, under the alias of Kemu Zaleon cast a spell upon this book." As she spoke the book in Kaby's hands began to glow brightly, the words rearranging themselves from 'Day Break- Kemu Zaleon' to 'Dear Kaby- Zekua Melon'. The man was able to get a good look at the cover before the light became to blinding and the book burst with magical writing, floating in the air as words spiraled around its form. All of those present marveled at the magical sight, even the gruff Mermaid smiling as she watched the spectacle. "The spell he cast scrambled the characters in the book, turning it from the letters he had written to his son and into that horribly written Adventure story that would only reverse itself once _you_ read it."

The book finally returned to normal, landing once more in Kaby's hands as tears poured from his eyes. "I never... really... understood him..."

"Of course. If you understand how a writer's mind works you'll lose all the pleasure in reading a book." The blonde mage smiled gently at the still crying man, Mira's arm wrapped around her shoulder as the other girl grinned widely.

"Thank you. I can't destroy the book..."

"Then we don't need the reward either." The take-over mage was still smiling though the client was confused by the refusal. "We were asked to 'destroy the book', and we failed to accomplish that. It would go against our standing as Fairy Tail mages to accept payment for a failed quest."

"No... but... we can't do it that way. Please let us pay you something for your troubles."

"Mira is right, we can't accept payment for a failed quest; however you can help us out by making sure that the Rune Knights get a copy of the first few chapters." Lucy was quick to agree with her friend and point out an important detail before it was forgotten. "They detail many of Duke Everlue's illegal deeds and will go a long way to making sure that he is punished appropriately for his wrong doings."

Kaby nodded his head in agreement, understanding that he would be helping them in a task of their own in place of a monetary reward. "I can do that, and will contact the Rune Knights immediately with all of the information you have given me. Thank you again for all of your help!"

"Don't worry about it, but we should really be going soon if we want to return home before it gets too dark." Mira waved off the thanks once more and already heading for the exit as she spoke; turning to smile at the couple one last time before leaving their sight. "Good luck!"

"What she said..." Aquarius gave a nod before dissipating in a shower of golden dust, causing Kaby and his wife to drop their jaws in shock. Lucy giggled before waving her own goodbye and chasing after her team mate, leaving the couple to their own devices once more.

"Goodbye Fairy Tail Mages! Safe Journeys!"

 **.**

 **Carriage ride back to Magnolia**

 **.**

"That was a good mission. Too bad we technically failed it though."

"Hmm~ but if we had completed it as they asked Kaby would have never known all the things his father wanted to say to him. Besides, I don't think they could have afforded it in the end." Lucy and Mira were cuddled up in the back of the carriage; taking advantage of the small space to be close after a long and tiring day.

"What do you mean Mira?"

"I finally noticed it when we brought them the book. I could smell that strong perfume everywhere we went in the mansion except for on them. Neither of them smelled anything like the rest of the mansion did, as if they never spent any real length of time there. I figured it was either they didn't live there, or they had just bought some new perfume to try out that day." The take-over mage pulled Lucy into her side and began to snuggle, placing her face against the blonde's neck and sniffing loudly in an attempt to make her giggle.

It worked, and soon they were having a tickle fight that lasted for most of the trip home. The carriage driver was _not_ amused.

 **.**

 **(FT AU: Chapter 01)**

 **.**

 _ **Character Corner with Kiwi- a guide to the abilities of our Main Cast**_

 _Today we will be looking at the Trio of Aquarius, Lucy, and Mira._

 _ **.**_

 _ **Aquarius- The Water Bearer:**_ _Celestial Spirit of the Zodiac_

 _ **Affiliation:**_ _Contracted to Lucy Heartfilia as a Guardian Spirit. Member of Fairy Tail Wizard's Guild- Team Celestial Demon's._

 _ **Appearance:**_ _Hair, eyes, and tail are in shades of blue. Dark Blue FT Guild Mark on her right hip. Mermaid form is twice as tall as Lucy from tail tip to top of head. Human form is only a head taller than the blonde._

 _ **Powers:**_ _She can control any type of water in anyway, but can only create a very limited amount of water when using her vase. Has the ability to open her own gate and appear near her contract holder instead of her key. Since she uses her own magic to enter the world, Aquarius is considered to be the most powerful of the Zodiac Spirits who are currently contracted with mages._

 _ **Likes:**_ _Scorpio. Getting "lost" so she can explore. Being barefoot. Virgo's cooking. Teasing Lucy. She also secretly enjoys cute things such as baby animals and "Her" girls being dorks._

 _ **Dislikes:**_ _Liars. People telling her where to go. Shoes. Asshole Celestial Mages. Directions; seriously don't tell her where to go. People who insult; her, "her girls", her friends, Scorpio, or Fairy Tail._

 _ **Accomplishments:**_ _Created the specialized contract system know as "Zodiac Spell Contract" that allows a mage to borrow a set of abilities/spells from the Zodiac Spirits using their keys as a catalyst for the seals. It is a variation of the more powerful spell known as "Star Dress"; weaker in power but able to be used like ability-type magic. She created the spells as a way to protect Lucy; giving her the ability to protect herself even without her keys._

 _ **Other:**_ _Secretly considers Lucy and Mira to be "hers", and is very protective of the both of them. Only Scorpio and her best friend Virgo know about her feelings._

 _She never gets lost due to excellent directional sense, she just chooses to ignore anything that tells her where her destination will be so that she can enjoy the journey and explore._

 _She can't stand shoes, but can tolerate sandals even though she loses them so often she may as well be barefoot 24/7. Flip Flops that have the little strap between the toes are considered torture devices and will be destroyed if given to her._

 _She absolutely LOVES coffee with a bit of Irish cream, but doesn't drink it often since the caffeine makes her a little loopy after a few cups._

 _She can be a bit of a sadist sometimes, but never goes out of her way to hurt someone for real- especially not her friends or family. She and Mira get along best when they're teasing others together._

 _She can't cook. Whenever she tries it always ends up tasting like boiled cabbage. Every time. Without fail. She finally gave up trying to do so the summer before they joined Fairy Tail._

 _ **.**_

 _ **Lucy Heartfilia- aka Lucy Heart:**_ _Celestial Spirit Mage_

 _ **Affiliation:**_ _Heir to the Heartfilia Konzern. Member of Fairy Tail Wizard's Guild- Team Celestial Demon's._

 _ **Appearance:**_ _Blonde Hair. Brown eyes. Gold FT Guild Mark on back of right hand. Wears Aquarius' gate key on a short chain around her neck- unable to remove it thanks to spirit. Black line tattoo matching Aquarius' across collar bones. Golden "tattoo" of Taurus on upper right shoulder. Golden "tattoo" of Cancer on left thigh, just above knee._

 _ **Powers:**_ _Celestial Spirit Magic; 3 golden keys and 6 silver keys. (Aquarius, Cancer, Taurus, Serpens-Discord, Southern Cross-Crux, Horologium, Canes Venatici, Pyxis, Nikora-Plue.)_

 _Zodiac Spell Contract (1/2 as powerful as the summoned spirit): Taurus- Bull Rush grants his strength. Cancer- Crab Dance grants his speed. Golden Shears summons a pair of blades from the spirit world. Aquarius- (always active) water breathing, mild control over water allows for basic attacks and enhanced swimming._

 _ **Likes:**_ _Her spirits. Her Dad. Mira. Fairy Tail. Strawberry milkshakes. Reading. Mira's cooking. Cuddling. Helping people. Making Mira smile. Training with her spirits on a good day. Life._

 _ **Dislikes:**_ _Onions. Asshole Celestial mages. Seeing her friends cry. Spending money she doesn't have. Training with her spirits on a bad day. Death._

 _ **Accomplishments:**_ _None of note to date._

 _ **Other:**_ _She is the only Celestial Mage to have access to the Zodiac Spell Contracts at this time. Aquarius used her as a guinea pig in order to create the spells and messed up twice before getting it right._

 _She still keeps in touch with her father weekly via communications lacrima and letters. She returns to the estate to see him for a week every three months. They have done so since Lucy's mother died and have a good relationship because of it._

 _Her favorite person is Mira, who was her first human friend and the first child her age that she ever met. Their first kiss was only minutes before Aquarius gave them 'the Talk' and they became lovers for the first time when Lucy was 14._

 _She is capable of winning a fight against Mira due to tactics and teamwork with her spirits, but their current score is even for wins and losses. Mira is physically stronger and faster with more powerful attacks, but Lucy has more magic power and a wider range of abilities._

 _She inherited Aquarius' cooking skills. All of them. Mira refuses to let her even attempt to cook._

 _ **.**_

 _ **Mirajane Strauss- aka Demon Mirajane:**_ _Demon Take-Over Mage_

 _ **Affiliation:**_ _The Eldest Strauss Sibling. Member of Fairy Tail Wizard's Guild- Team Celestial Demon's._

 _ **Appearance:**_ _Blue eyes. Long Silver hair. White FT Guild Mark on the middle of her left thigh. She is actually an inch shorter than Lucy and always wears heels to compensate. Her Satan Soul Form has; a large tail, clawed hands, sharp teeth, pointed ears, and cracks along her face and right thigh._

 _ **Powers:**_ _Demon Take-Over. Demon Factor. Enhanced Senses. Enhanced Strength and reflexes. Poison immunity. Satan Soul Mira- her fully demon form._

 _ **Likes:**_ _Lucy. Lucy's Spirits. Her siblings. Fairy Tail. Fighting with Erza. Cuddling with Lucy. Fighting for fun. Cooking. Poison._

 _ **Dislikes:**_ _Cockroaches. When Erza wins. When Lucy is angry at her. When her friends are hurt._

 _ **Accomplishments:**_ _Became a demon hybrid at 16 thanks to the Satan Soul spell. She is the first to do so in almost 300 years._

 _ **Other:**_ _She's a bit of a sadist and enjoys teasing people on a grand scale. Lucy's crying puppy face always gets to her for this reason. She also enjoys being teased, but only by Lucy._

 _She considers Aquarius to be her big sister figure but has never told anyone out loud._

 _The blonde Celestial Mage is her favorite person. Lucy was the first person in her life to accept Mira exactly as she was, and the first person she had met since awakening her magic that treated her the same no matter what form she took._

 _She became a literal demon hybrid at 16 in order to keep from going mad thanks to her magic. Satan Soul Mira is not an absorbed demon, or even a combined demon form, it is HER demon body, as if she had been born that way. Thanks to this she also has enhanced senses, strength, speed, reflexes, and durability even in her human form._

 _Mira secretly really enjoys eating different types of poison because she is immune to them thanks to her demon DNA; also she thinks they are actually really tasty. She is very careful to keep her stash away from the reach of others._

 _Her enhanced senses, though not as strong as Natsu's, sometimes get her into trouble especially her sense of smell. Strong perfumes and body odor will often make her feel sick; if this happens when Lucy is around she will hug the blonde and bury her nose into the girls neck in order to smell something pleasant. She says the blonde smells like Strawberries and the night sky._

 _._

 _._


End file.
